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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28704378">Titan Rising</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lathis/pseuds/Lathis'>Lathis</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dark Titans [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DCU (Comics), Justice League &amp; Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Ranma 1/2, Teen Titans (Animated Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crossover, F/M, Resurrection, it gets complicated - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 09:14:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>150,334</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28704378</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lathis/pseuds/Lathis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dark Titans is the sequel to The Titans and the Lost Boy.</p><p>This series of stories follows the ongoing adventures of Heroes and Martial Artists alike, as two very different worlds collide.</p><p>The tale of Terra's return, and the trials and tribulations she must face in a world very different than the one she left.  Watch, as she greets friends new and old, and finds a new mentor to help her adjust to this strange new world.  Meanwhile, Jinx and Happosai make a few new friends of their own in Gotham.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ryouga/Raven</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dark Titans [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2057328</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma twisted over on to his side, then wriggled his elbows under him in a vain attempt to find a comfortable position to lie down in. Finally satisfied that he was good for another few minutes, he returned his attention to the familiar yellow communicator sitting, propped up, on the floor beside his futon. It took him another few seconds to tune out the sounds of heavy construction coming from the Dojo, but he'd had a few days to get used to that since their guest had arrived.</p><p>"...been <em>three</em> days since anyone has seen him. I'm beginning to get worried," stated a concerned looking Raven from a continent away.</p><p>Ranma let out a weak sigh.</p><p>"Look, Raven, ya really gotta get over this. I mean, I've known the guy for <em>years </em>and he's been pulling this stuff the entire time."</p><p>One of Raven's eyebrows arched up cutely, "Well, then what do you usually do when he gets misplaced?"</p><p>He considered his words carefully.</p><p>"Rejoice?"</p><p>"<em>Saotome Ranma</em>!"</p><p>The pigtailed warrior chuckled at the absolutely priceless look on the lovely young woman's face.</p><p>"Heh, sorry-sorry. Honestly, though, and this is me speaking as Ryouga's best-"</p><p>"Friend?" she interjected sneakily.</p><p>"<em>Rival</em>! Sheesh, yer worse than Kasumi!"</p><p>Raven scoffed at that notion. "There is <em>no </em>way that I am <em>anything </em>like her."</p><p>Ranma stared at her oddly for a moment, before shrugging off the odd response. "Whatever. What I'm sayin is: Ryouga gets lost. It's what he does, so you better get used to it. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if P-Chan was wanderin around my backyard this minute."</p><p>His companion's intoxicatingly deep violet eyes rolled in annoyance. "Be serious, Ranma. He's only been missing for three days. He's likely still in the city, we just have no way to locate him."</p><p>Ranma stared at the Titan incredulously. "<em>Oh</em>, it's <em>only </em>been three days. Right, what was I thinking? He's probably only made it to <em>Greece</em> by now." He tilted his head to the side in contemplation. "Which is probably for the best. I don't think Ryouga would wanna be here considering the mood Akane has been in the past few days."</p><p>Raven's eyebrow quirked up again. "Really? Whatever for? I thought she was quite happy having Natsume and Kurumi living there."</p><p>"Ha!" he barked, "You should know! After all, it's your fault."</p><p>A mixture of shock, confusion and worry suddenly spilled out onto Raven's face.</p><p>"What? <em>My </em>fault? Was it something I did?"</p><p>Ranma nodded seriously. "It sure was! Ya remember that 'Walking on Eggshells' technique you were telling me about?"</p><p>And, just like that, all anxiety drained from her face. It revealed an annoyed glare which just screamed, <em>'What did you do?'</em></p><p>"It is <em>not </em>a technique, it is an <em>expression</em>," she stated flatly.</p><p>He waved her off. "Yeah, well, whatever. Anyway, I finally got some free time, so I decided to give it a try!"</p><p>Raven let out a weary sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Somehow, I can see where this is going."</p><p>Ranma nodded excitedly, "And <em>how</em>! Man, when she saw the mess I'd made in the Dojo, she uppercutted me halfway to Shinjuku!  I actually got a lot of extra paperwork done thanks to her."</p><p>Raven let out a groan of disgust, but then started suddenly. "Wait a moment. She actually <em>hit </em>you over something as trivial as that?"</p><p>Uh-oh! He didn't like the tone in her voice, or the look on her face...</p><p>Proceed backpedaling procedures!</p><p>"Um, yeah, but, ya know, it ain't no big deal. I mean, she didn't even use her mallet or nuthin!"</p><p>His frantic backpedaling didn't garner the results he'd hoped for.</p><p>"Are you saying it's not unusual for her to hit you with a <em>mallet</em>?" The scandalized tone in Raven's voice made him think that she found the idea to be quite serious, and couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why!</p><p>He waved his hands frantically in a warding gesture. "It ain't like that! I mean, I kinda egged her on a bit..."</p><p>For some reason, Raven grimaced, looking very much like she was in pain… Did she stub her toe? Maybe she was having cramps? Should he ask her if it was that time of the month? Yeah, that'd be a good way to change the subject-</p><p>"What could you have <em>possibly </em>done to warrant such abuse?"</p><p>Damn! She was too quick for him!</p><p>He resorted to shrugging sheepishly. "Well, I kinda... might have... told her that I'd saved her the trouble of making breakfast, since the eggs I'd stepped all over couldn't taste any worse than anything else she'd ever cooked ..."</p><p>Raven just <em>stared </em>at him. As the lull stretched on, he considered asking her about her cramps again, when-</p><p>"...You are <em>unbelievable</em>.  Still, it isn't right for her to resort to such brutal violence to communicate her displeasure with you."</p><p>He shot an incredulous look right back at her.</p><p>"B-but, Raven! <em>Everyone</em> in Nerima is an emotionally crippled martial artist. If we didn't have <em>violence</em>, then how the heck would we communicate?"</p><p>Again, her eyebrow quirked up  (it was so endearing) as she looked at him, apparently trying to discern if he was being serious or not.</p><p>"Have you ever tried <em>talking</em>?</p><p>"Well ...yeah, but it usually just results in more violence."</p><p>She stared at him uncertainly, "I have a hard time believing that, I mean, Ryouga-"</p><p>"Is the <em>worst offender</em> I know!" he interrupted sharply, "If he didn't get lost all over the place, I'm pretty sure the only language he'd know is 'PunchRanmaintheface-ese'."</p><p>His companion shook her head slowly, her violet locks swaying like a curtain of silk from the gentle movement. Unfortunately, it didn't look like she was getting ready to drop the subject.</p><p>"Ranma," she began, starting to sound very much like his Guidance Councillor, "Violence is not the answer to everything. I can't imagine actually forming a healthy relationship based on such a destructive cycle of abu..."</p><p>Ranma let out a sigh, dropping down flat onto his futon as Raven launched into her lecture. It sounded like he was going to be there for quite a while, too. Man, for a girl that so steadfastly refused to talk about her own, <em>numerous</em>, problems, she sure didn't have any trouble talking about <em>his </em>problems... at great length…</p><p>He'd still listen to every word, though.</p><p>It was doubtful that he'd be able to convince her that inducing bodily harm was just the status quo, though. If there was anything he was sure of, it was that his wit wasn't up to the task of winning any kind of debate with the quick-witted female. Heck, he'd sent his own dad into orbit a few times, him and Ryouga fought at the drop of a hat (literally, that one time. How the heck was he supposed to know that it had been a souvenir for Akane?) and Shampoo constantly landed her bike on his head as a sign of affection ... All normal stuff in his book.</p><p>As Raven moved on from lecturing to making insane suggestions, like, possibly, couples therapy (him and Akane were <em>so </em>not a couple!), he kinda started to tune her out. Sheesh, him and Akane talking about their problems in front of a complete stranger? He doubted he'd survive that.</p><p><em>'Man</em>,' he thought to himself glumly...</p><p><em>'There's no <strong>way</strong> that Ryouga is worse off than me right now...</em>'</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Across the verdant, green countryside, the joyous preparations for the coming celebration were underway. The frantic, yet excited expressions on the faces of her people brought a smile to her own face as well.</p><p>Yes, Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, loved the Festival of the Five.</p><p>The statuesque ruler turned to the raven-haired beauty at her side. The younger woman looked half ready to run off into the frenzy herself but was kind enough to spare a few minutes of time with her.</p><p>"I am glad that you were able to join us on this festive night, Diana."</p><p>Her daughter tore her eyes from her many sisters and returned her gaze.</p><p>"It's the Festival of the Five, Mother. I wouldn't miss it for all the world. My only regret is that so many of my comrades were called out into deep space. With so few of us remaining in the Watch Tower, I'm afraid I'll have to return first thing in the morning."</p><p>Hippolyta nodded, hiding her disappointment. It wasn't too hard to do; even with her daughter's imminent departure, it was still a wonderful gathering and seeing so many Amazons so happy filled her heart with joy.</p><p>"It seems that Donna is quite excited to be organizing the Hunt." She pointed to the distant girl conversing with a group of toga-clad and spear wielding warriors.</p><p>Diana chuckled lightly, then pointed to another equally young, though very different young woman.</p><p>"Far more excited than young Cassandra. I fear she doesn't appreciate how important the Harvest is in honoring Demeter."</p><p>Even from the distance, their keen eyes could make out the grimace on the face of the golden-haired girl. Armed with only a sickle, a basket, and several dozen of her sisters, the young Amazon hunched back down into the ocean of wheat and continued to reap what she had sown.</p><p>Hippolyta laughed happily at the sight.</p><p>"Well, if she possessed even a shred of talent for cooking, she could have assisted in preparing the Feast. Instead, that honor falls to you, daughter; a sacred honor, on this most sacred of days."</p><p>Diana rolled her eyes, looking slightly petulant, quite an amusing sight to the Queen. "I still don't see why <em>I </em>didn't get to go on the hunt..."</p><p>"Now, now, you've already-"</p><p>"Uh-uh-um."</p><p>The polite cough interrupted their conversation quite unexpectedly. Both the Queen and her daughter turned to see who had such pressing business that they felt the need to interrupt their Queen in mid speech...</p><p>Only to stare in wide eyed shock at the young man that stood before them!</p><p>The boy, looking of Asian descent, wore faded and worn clothing, a spotted head bandage and had a sleek, black umbrella strapped to his back as most would wear a sword. Most prominent, though, was the large map in the boy's hands... of Afghanistan... printed in Russian... and upside down.</p><p>After a moment of their silent gaze, the boy lowered his map and let out a weak chuckle.</p><p>"Heh... um, please excuse me, but do either of you know how to get to the Tendo Dojo... or Jump City? Whichever is closer, really."</p><p>Still too stunned to speak, they only continued to stare at the intruder.</p><p>"No, eh?" The young man began to look all around, possibly looking for someone else to ask. Suddenly, a look of surprise lighted on his face and he turned back to them. "Wow, there sure are a lot of women here..."</p><p>"You guys aren't related to the Chinese Amazons, are you?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ryouga ran like he'd never run before. He ducked around trees, leapt boulders, and soared over streams in his frantic flight. All around him, arrows and spears rained down; most of the projectiles landed harmlessly in the ground, but a few he was forced to deflect with his new umbrella.</p><p>The Lost Boy took a quick peek over his shoulder...</p><p>To see the entire Amazon Nation descending upon him!</p><p>It was an odd sight, to see a literal army of unbelievably gorgeous women swarming across the countryside in pursuit of him. His first thought was predictable:</p><p><em>'Man, this is <strong>awesome</strong></em>!"</p><p>His second, and more rational thought was:</p><p>
  <em>'Wait a second, this <strong>sucks</strong>! This must be how Ranma feels most of the time!'</em>
</p><p>For the first time ever, Hibiki Ryouga felt just a twinge of sympathy for his eternal rival.</p><p>Again, he turned around and cupped his hands around his mouth.</p><p>"I <em>said </em>I was sorry! I didn't even know I stepped on their Mascara!"</p><p>And, again, his pleas were ignored.</p><p>
  <em>'That's it! I'm telling Happosai about this place the next time I see him!'</em>
</p><p>Unfortunately, it was right about then that he realized, thanks in no small part to his complete inability to pay attention to where he was going...</p><p>That he'd run straight off a cliff about three steps ago.</p><p>As the women vanished behind him and the ocean loomed hungrily below him, he let out a resigned sigh.</p><p>"No one's existence could possibly be worse tha-"</p><p>The rest of his profound statement was drowned out by a tremendous splash.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Darkness... everything was darkness, a soul numbing, mind rending blackness that buried its claws deep into one's heart... He sat, hunched over, clothed in nothing but the silken darkness; could feel it clinging to his skin. Even the air itself lent itself to the illusion of complete nothingness; the temperature was so constant, it was like floating in a void, a purgatory. Even the damp stone beneath him was the same, uniform temperature, it might as well not even have been there.</p><p>Only the sounds reminded him that he was, in fact, not alone. Always the same sounds, a maddening hum at the back of his mind, now. Countless voices mumbling and droning on to themselves, the near silent whispers of feet slipping across the ground, the distant splashes of bodies leaving and entering the water...</p><p>All punctuated by the agonized screams of the dying.</p><p>Those foolish, weak, pathetic spawn that were too stupid to stay quiet, or just unfortunate enough for some larger prisoner to stumble over them. It was always the same, that same, hectic beat that played to all battles: A wild crescendo of screams... fading to nothing.</p><p>Nothing but the sounds of the victors enjoying their spoils. Those sounds usually lasted for quite some time but were easier to tune out. It had all been going on for so long that the brutality had lost any real meaning. Now, now it was just existence...</p><p>A twitch.</p><p>Something ... something had changed. He could feel it, so keenly after so much time of feeling nothing at all. It was small, infinitesimal, but he could feel it like the Gulf Stream flowing over his sensation deprived nerves.</p><p>He felt... warmth... and it was increasing.</p><p>He tried to determine the direction the strange sensory input was coming from, but it was revealed soon enough. In a sudden flurry of movement, a surge of activity which hadn't been seen for months, he could hear literally dozens of bodies flinging themselves from the water filled caves that led away from the cavern, throwing themselves onto the slick stone floor.</p><p>Moments later, his ears were treated to the impossible sound of boiling water! Millions of gallons of water, water which filled this section of the cavern system they had long since been exiled to, which they now called home, was boiling!</p><p>Suddenly the entire cavern shook, a distant explosion roaring! A second after that, he howled in pain as scalding hot water was blasted out of the caves and up into the air pocket by the force of the blast. For several minutes, roars of rage and whimpers of pain filled the air, as beings which had known nothing, but the sweet embrace of nothingness and death for so long, suddenly were reintroduced to the startling concept of pain...</p><p>And then he smelt it... fresh water, not that saltless swill, but cool, oxygenated water. After months of slowly stagnating water, he could almost taste it in his gills, even from yards away! On instinct alone, he half staggered, half lopped towards the source and dove into the submerged cave that had once led to freedom.</p><p>He followed the cave, swam until his tired and atrophied muscles burned, but soon, frightfully soon, he knew he was there.</p><p>For the first time in months, he opened his eyes. Pale, white orbs opened, seeing light for the first time that his shattered mind could remember, true light, <em>sun light</em>. Behind him, another pair of eyes opened, and another, and another, and another...</p><p>Though they were all vastly different beings now, they all shared the exact same thought at that most beautiful of moments...</p><p>"...<em>Perfect</em>..."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>CYBLOG</strong>
</p><p>Ahh, Yeah! Welcome to the Silicon Jungle!</p><p>
  <span class="u">Home Again, Jiggety-Jig!</span>
</p><p>Annd... we're back!</p><p>Let me give a quick shout out to all my Bloggers and Blogettes out there! As you can probably guess (since you're reading this), my hiatus has finally ended. I know it's probably been a long – long week without Cyborg there to brighten your days, but I'm finally back from Japan and I have a special present for y'all at the end of today's post to make up for it.</p><p>Now, as you all know, I went over to Japan, T-Ship laden with enough gear to trick out Fort Knox herself, to help our new buddy, RS... or is it SR... well, whatever, I'm pretty sure you know who I'm talking about. Anyway, for obvious reasons (i.e., Robin would kill me) I can't tell y'all about the insanely awesome security I installed for him (Oh, and it <em>is</em>!), but at least I can give you a quick rundown on the trip itself.</p><p>First, and most importantly, RS is absolutely <em>sick </em>with cuties! I know, I know, we got Star and Rae floating around here day in and day out, but (and remember the house rules: What's typed on Cyblog <em>stays</em> on Cyblog!), I gotta say I'm pretty desensitized to both now; not to mention they're both kinda, sorta spoken for. AT, kT and especially NT, though, I mean, just wow! Don't get me wrong, it wasn't anywhere <em>near </em>as awesome as <span class="u">our unscheduled stay in China</span>, but it sure wasn't bad.</p><p>Of course, it wouldn't be fair to my blogettes if I only mentioned the Eye Candy, so I'll give you a quick rundown of the Beefcake, too. First and foremost, <strong>I </strong>was there, so that's almost too much manliness to fit in this column as it is. However, I also got to chill with RS and his buddy RK (lotsa R names going on over there, don't know what's up with that), I'm sure anyone that saw <span class="u">this broadcast</span> will know the guys that I'm talking about. So, there're three major studs to balance out the cutie count.</p><p>Now, back to the trip itself. I have to say it was wild, even by my standards! Initially, everything was going smoothly, I got a lot of good work done in those first couple days. I mean, sure, I had to drag all those poor, entertainment starved kids out on the town every night (Those crazy kung fu people could <em>dance </em>when they finally pulled their respective sticks out), but I considered that to be my humanitarian act for the month.</p><p>On the fourth day, though, this crazy <em>Flying Cow Monster</em> suddenly blew into the city! Pretty messed up, huh? And that was <em>nothing </em>compared to the fireball throwing, lightning shooting, three faced, six-armed girl it was fighting! Man, RS deputized me right on the spot (Weird, I know!) and we all dove in to break up the fight. It was pretty touch and go there, for a bit, but between the six of us we managed to pull out the Win in the end. I gotta say, that demon girl was as pleasant as could be when I offered to whip her up a fancy back brace, not at all like our snappy, moody Raven, that's for sure!</p><p>So, after risking life and limb in Japan to help RS, I finally come home, and what do I find? That <span class="u">Insert hero's name here</span> (I know, he <em>still </em>hasn't thought of one) has been <em>lost </em>for days! Star was beside herself, Raven was mega-mopey (not sure if that was related or not, though) and BB was practically having kittens! The only one that was taking it all in stride was KT (<em><span class="u">Always </span></em><span class="u">click here to view image!</span>) When I got back, all she said was:</p><p>"Yes, he does that from time to time. Would you like some tea?"</p><p>Luckily for me, since I just <em>knew </em>they were going to stick me with the job, someone else found him for us! And you'll never guess who! It was the <em>Flash </em>himself! One of the Original Seven, Dawgs! Man, what a mind job that was, having <span class="u">Insert hero's name here</span> dropped at our doorstep by the Fastest Man Alive!</p><p>Speaking of which, I better wrap things up. Robin was kind enough to give the guy the night to recoup, but I have a feeling they're going to give him a serious grilling this morning. Between BB's frustration and the girls' relief, I'd better go make sure he survives.</p><p>...Still, from Jump City to Central City in a week, <em>on foot</em>. I can only shake my head at that mystery.</p><p>Anyway, before I go, as promised, and by popular demand...</p><p>The Recipe for my world famous <span class="u">Three Meat Spaghetti Sauce</span>!</p><p>- Cyborg out!</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>With a silent swish, the elevator door slid open to reveal the vast expanse that was the main room of Titan Tower. Against all his expectations, the room was still immaculate; the purely entropic force that Beast Boy represented was as nothing in the face of the raw instrument of Order that was currently wrapped in a frilly apron and went by the name: Kasumi.</p><p>Cyborg stepped into the room, whistling a jaunty tune, just in time to catch the tail end of Starfire's formal Tamaranean greeting to their recently found Lost Boy.</p><p>"My heart <em>bursts </em>with joy at your fortuitous return. Please, never, ever misplace yourself in such a spectacular fashion again, dear friend Ryouga!"</p><p>Starfire then released her hug, letting Ryouga's wheezing form collapse back to the couch. Even as the guy sucked in a few desperate breaths, Cyborg had to give him credit. Most guys would have died from that hug (and what a way to go!) but Hibiki was only slightly crumpled around the edges.</p><p>"I – <em>'wheeze'</em> – I'll see what... what I can do, Kori..."</p><p>The titanium Titan wasn't sure if the tiny droplets of moisture gathering at the corners of the guy's eyes were from Starfire's affection moving him, or Starfire's affection mauling him, but the adoring smile on the Redhead's face made him feel certain that it was the former. He did quirk an eyebrow at Ryouga's use of Starfire's Tamaranean name, though. Not even Robin or Kasumi used it, and Kasumi had gotten into the odd habit of calling everyone she could by their real names.</p><p>Robin moved in before Cyborg could continue his ruminations.</p><p>"I'd like to know what you were doing in Central City. Are you sure you didn't sleepwalk onto a bus? I can't imagine how else you could have gotten that far otherwise."</p><p>Ryouga looked at Robin strangely for a moment... before a thoughtful look spread across his face. "Hmm, you know, that <em>would </em>explain a lot... Still, it's not like I meant to go there or anything. It all worked out, though, since I managed to stumble across that bank robbery and stop Private Boomerang."</p><p>Cyborg stifled a chuckle. Robin pinched the bridge of his nose.</p><p>"Actually, it's <em>Captain</em> Boomerang."</p><p>"<em>Really</em>?" Ryouga let out a bark of laughter. "Wow! That's funny, because I only called him Private Boomerang on account of where I stuck his b-"</p><p>"<em>Be</em> that as it may!" Raven cut in sharply. Her interruption earned her a dark look from Beast Boy, which she ignored completely (as usual) before continuing, "Why did you go running off like that? You know about your problem just as well as we do..."</p><p>Raven trailed off, absently sliding her hood up from her shoulders to shade her eyes. The young woman then turned her head to the side as she continued, "I- <em>we</em> were all very worried about you. You really need to be more careful..."</p><p>Even someone as clueless as the Lost Boy was able to pick up on the body language that Raven was giving off. Tentatively, Ryouga reached out a hand, his voice choked with emotion as he began to speak,</p><p>"Raven... I... I – "</p><p>"Yeah, Dude! Seriously, what were you <em>thinking</em>, ditching Terra like that?"</p><p>Apparently <em>not </em>even someone as clueless as <em>BB</em> was able to pick up on the tender moment that had been literally seconds away from unfolding. Instantly, Starfire and Raven both impaled the oblivious changeling with glares promising eternal torment, but the damage was already done. Star and Rae both turned back to Ryouga, hopeful and nervous glances respectively... Except all traces of tenderness were gone from his face. Now, Ryouga was just staring ahead in confusion.</p><p>"What was I thinking?" asked the Lost Boy. It was like he was sounding out the question, unable to fathom its true meaning.</p><p>"What <em>was</em> I thinking?" His head tilted to the side, a thoughtful look replacing the confusion.</p><p>Everyone simply stared at the bandanna clad boy, waiting to see where his train of thought was going. Cyborg was about to offer a suggestion – when suddenly Ryouga's eyes shot wide open and he leapt to his feet!</p><p>"<em>What was I <strong>thinking</strong>!"</em></p><p>Then, without warning, Ryouga spun wildly to face Raven again and grasped her hands (one might say intimately) in his own. The sheer excitement in Hibiki's eyes must have been blinding him, since the boy completely missed the livid blush that suddenly bloomed on Raven's pale cheeks at the unexpected contact.</p><p>"<em>Raven</em>! You have to go for breakfast with me!"</p><p>Cyborg nearly exploded into laughter at the shocked expression on Raven's face. The poor girl's head swung back and forth frantically, as she tried to figure out what the heck was going on. He hoped between his enthusiastic thumbs up and Starfire's energetic nodding, that she would come to the right conclusion.</p><p>"S-s-sure.  I suppose it couldn't hurt..."</p><p>"<em>Great</em>! That's great, let's get going!" Without another word, Ryouga bolted for the door (amazingly, the correct one; he must have been excited) dragging a shell-shocked Raven with him. Luckily, the Lost Boy stopped and waited for the elevator doors to open, instead of just plowing straight through them. The minor stop allowed the cloaked Raven to gather her senses.</p><p>"Wait – <em>wait</em> a moment."</p><p>Ryouga turned to face her, shooting the pretty girl an inquisitive glance.</p><p>"Ryouga..." she began leadingly, "Two things need to happen before we leave. First, I need to change."</p><p>The elevator doors opened before the duo and they stepped in. Ryouga nodded in response to Raven's statement as they did.</p><p>"Sure, getting changed should only take a minute or two."</p><p>Cyborg quickly slapped his hand over BB's mouth to stifle his buddy's potentially explosive outburst of laughter. That didn't stop him from rolling his own eyes, though.</p><p>"Second," Raven continued seriously, "You <em>absolutely</em> need to take a shower-"</p><p>And then the door closed...</p><p>"<em>Bwhahahahahah!</em>"</p><p>"<em>Dudes</em>, that was <em>hilarious</em>!"</p><p>"They are <em>so adorable</em>!"</p><p>That had easily been one of the cutest/most awkward moments that the titanium Titan had ever seen. The fact that <em>Raven</em> of all people had been involved, man, he just couldn't stop laughing. He turned to see how everyone else was doing.</p><p>At the side of the room, comfortably tucked behind the kitchenette's counter, Kasumi stood silently. Oddly, the lovely Japanese woman was staring at the elevator door with a potently neutral expression on her face. It was enough to kill Cyborg's laughter. He almost considered thinking about asking her what was up – when the eldest Tendo sister turned his way and graced him with a beautiful smile that had the odd effect of shutting down the human half of his brain completely. The talented woman then went back to work on breakfast again, as if nothing had happened.</p><p>...He shook his head a moment later... That had been weird, maybe he –</p><p>"I just cannot believe it," Robin interrupted his train of thought for the second time that morning. The masked Titan shook his head from side to side in befuddlement as he stared at the now closed elevator doors.</p><p>Cyborg turned an inquisitive stare in their intrepid leader's direction.</p><p>"What's wrong, Robbie? Not a fan of a little 'R&amp;R'?"</p><p>Robin looked back at him, taken off guard. "What? No, it's nothing like that. I just can't believe Ryouga got so hopelessly lost so quickly. If you think about it, we really dodged a bullet there. Ryouga could have caused a serious incident between us and the JLA if he stumbled into a different hero's territory."</p><p>"Pfft," interjected Beast Boy, "Get over yourself, Robin. Not <em>all of us </em>are like Batman. Heck, I'm sure that your old boss is the <em>only </em>guy in the world that doesn't appreciate a little outsourcing."</p><p>Cyborg nodded vigorously.</p><p>"Yeah, man. The Flash was totally psyched that Ryo stepped in there."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The images on the screen blurred as time reversed itself at the whim of his mighty thumb. He held the rewind button for a few more seconds before finally releasing it.</p><p>The release of said button instigated the forward flowing of a series of events on the gleaming Forty-Eight-inch flat screen television which caused him to laugh, guffaw, hoot, holler and, ultimately, to wince in sympathy at the ultimate suffering which pinpointed the apex and end of the fight-</p><p>"Oh, <em>man</em>! They're gonna have to call him <em>Private </em>Boomerang now!" cheered the Flash.</p><p>Hmm, he wondered if he could rent that kid out the next time that Mirror Master showed up in town...</p><p>Yet again, his finger floated towards the rewind button...</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Robin ignored Cyborg's rather inane comment to glare daggers at Beast Boy.</p><p>"He wasn't my <em>boss</em>; he was my <em>partner</em>. Still, you do have a point. Unless he wandered through Gotham, I doubt anyone else would take too much issue with a little unauthorized assistance.”</p><p>Robin cracked a smile as a wicked thought flitted through his mind.</p><p>"Still, it <em>would </em>be nice to be able to keep track of him more reliably. I don't suppose you have any tracking chips sitting around, do you, Cyborg?"</p><p>His titanium teammate laughed aloud. "Ha! Tracking chips? I got those things in cherry, grape, sub-dermal and suppository. Take your pick!"</p><p>"Dudes!" Beast Boy jumped between them, excitement on his face. "You gotta let me do it! I could go all Crocodile Hunter on Ryo!"</p><p>The emerald changeling suddenly crouched down and placed a hand over his eyes, miming a furtive search.</p><p>"<em>Croike</em>! Lookit the size of that <em>Hibiki</em>, he's <em>huge</em>! I gotta say, this is a real treat. You <em>never</em> get to see a critter this big so far from its natural habitat," Beast Boy explained in a completely unidentifiable accent, "Now watch me wrassle him to the ground and implant this tracking chip right up his a-"</p><p>"You most certainly <em>will not</em>!"</p><p>The unexpected outburst drew the attention of Robin and the other two young men over to the resident Tamaranean. Starfire's arms were straight at her side, her fists clenched in righteous fury; the young woman's face was more than a little red as she glared at them.</p><p>The Boy Wonder scratched his head at the sight. "Ummm... Star? We were just joking..."</p><p>"Your joke was <em>not </em>funny!" fumed the alien girl.</p><p>Beast Boy scoffed loudly at that. "<em>What</em>? I beg to differ, Starfire!"</p><p>Rather than continue to argue, their flame haired friend crossed her arms under her chest and spun around in a huff.</p><p>"<em>Hmph</em>!"</p><p>At which point she flew out of one of the side doors before anyone else could say another word.</p><p>This time, it was Cyborg's turn to scratch his head. The squeal of steel on steel caused Robin and Beast Boy to wince, but Cyborg continued as if nothing was wrong.</p><p>"Man, what was all <em>that </em>about?"</p><p>A deep frown etched itself onto Robin's features.</p><p>"I don't know, but I'd like to. I think I'll go talk to her-"</p><p>His determined declaration was cut off by a gentle hand on his shoulder. There were only a few people on the planet that would place a hand on his shoulder, and even fewer that would be so gentle about it... and considering one of those people had just floated out of the room, it didn't take much detective work to figure out who it could be.</p><p>"Perhaps you should give her some time, first, Robin," offered a beatifically smiling Kasumi.</p><p>He turned to face her fully.</p><p>"Do you know what upset her, Kasumi? Was our joke really that bad?"</p><p>Cyborg nudged Beast Boy and whispered harshly, "I <em>told </em>you it was too soon for those Crocodile Hunter jokes!"</p><p>"<em>Dude, </em>you <em>so </em>did not!"</p><p>"I <em>totally </em>did!"</p><p>"Not <em>even</em>!"</p><p>Kasumi's warm, loving smile shrunk a fraction of an inch as she shot a look which was as close to disapproving as she was capable of towards the silently arguing boys. This had the immediate effect of shutting them both up and causing them to start fidgeting nervously.</p><p>"Well, your suppository joke <em>was...</em> somewhat graphic." Both guys were positively squirming now. "However, I don't think that is what upset her."</p><p>Robin shot her a quizzical look, which brought the Tendo Sister's smile back in full force.</p><p>"Starfire is a sweet and loyal young woman, and she thinks very highly of Ryouga. Even though you were only joking around, what you call a tracking device, some might call a leash... and Starfire knows Ryouga well enough to know he's never done very well with leashes."</p><p>"...Wow ...I didn't even think of that," he muttered, "Umm... Kasumi? I don't suppose you could talk to her for me, you know, explain that we didn't mean it like that?"</p><p>Normally, the Boy Wonder hated delegating anything he could do himself to someone else. However, when it came to Starfire, all the normal rules seemed to go out the window and he never seemed to know just what to do or say around the stunningly beautiful young woman. That, and it was Kasumi, <em>everyone </em>liked Kasumi.</p><p>If anything, Kasumi's smile only widened.</p><p>"I would love to."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The sight of the three young men enjoying her lovingly prepared meal brought a wide smile to the eldest Tendo sister's face. They were so boisterous and happy that she felt like she could just sit where she was and watch them for hours on end. The almost-alien notion that, if she so chose, she could join them and be acknowledged as more than just another place setting was still something she was working up to.</p><p>She giggled to herself quietly. And to think there had been a time when she had thought younger men were boring.</p><p>Still, as energetic and entertaining as her little men were, she was beginning to miss the simple pleasure of associating with other females. While her near daily conversations with her sister (soon to be <em>sisters</em>, so she heard!) were especially important to her, they didn't seem to fill the void of going from living with two sisters to living with a small mob of boys. Of course, Raven was not an option, for a myriad of reasons, but there was a very promising and pleasant alternative available.</p><p>That in mind, Kasumi removed her apron, skillfully pulling her long ponytail through the apron strings with practiced ease. She then folded the piece of fabric twice and carefully laid it down on the counter next to the stack of pots and pans that Victor had sworn on his honor that he would clean. (Such a silly, sweet young man.)</p><p>Several minutes later, she found herself standing outside a stark, steel door. Starfire's name was printed across its metal surface in bold lettering, clearly signifying the room's occupant. It reminded her a bit of home, and of Akane's little door duckie.</p><p>With a little more hesitance than she would have liked, Kasumi knocked on the door. A response was quick in the coming.</p><p>"...Who is there?" The inquiry was asked in a quiet voice.</p><p>"It's Kasumi. May I please come in?"</p><p>She had to wait a little longer this time.</p><p>"...no." Starfire's reply was timid and sounded a bit embarrassed.</p><p>Kasumi tilted her head to the side.</p><p>"Why not? Are you upset with me?"</p><p>"<em>No</em>! ...no, it is... just that I would not make good company now."</p><p>Starfire's panicked response quirked Kasumi's lips up into a tiny smile. She gingerly pulled the scrunchy from the end of her loose ponytail and flipped her hair over her shoulder. It appeared that it was time for her to bring out the <em>big guns</em>.</p><p>"Really? Well, that's too bad. I was hoping you could braid my hair for me, but I guess I'll be on my w-"</p><p>She didn't even get to finish her sentence as the door suddenly flew open and Kasumi somehow found herself magically transported from standing in the hallway to sitting on Starfire's bed. The transition was so quick that, even though it had been her plan, it still took her a moment to reorient herself. By the time she did, her simply lovely young companion was already floating back from her vanity with a brush in hand.</p><p>The look on the young woman's face, which Kasumi could only call <em>joyous</em>, already made her sneaky little plan worthwhile. A second later the flame haired girl plopped down on the odd, circular mattress behind her and immediately began to run the comb through her hair. She winced initially, fearing a harsh and forceful ministration... but then sighed in relief. Despite her tremendous alien strength, Starfire was as gentle and careful as could be.</p><p>Oddly, it made her think of the time that Akane had told her about Ryouga's puppies. Even though she, personally, had never been afraid of Ryouga a day in her life, hearing about the sensitive, yet powerful youth rough housing with adorable, yet terribly fragile little puppies had caused her toes to curl in apprehension. Now, just as back then, she was heartened to know these dangerously strong children had such precise control over their power.</p><p>"Your hair is <em>most </em>luxurious, Miss Kasumi."</p><p>Kasumi smiled at the compliment.</p><p>"Why thank you, Starfire, and please, you can simply call me Kasumi, if you like."</p><p>Now that the Tamaranean was sitting behind her, she couldn't see the expression on the girl's face, but hopefully she hadn't offended her companion with her overly familiar gesture.</p><p>"I will endeavor to do so... Kasumi."</p><p>Silence reigned for several minutes as Kasumi enjoyed the sensation of the brush running through her hair, of Starfire's strong, delicate fingers artfully arranging her flowing chestnut locks. It had been quite some time since either of her sisters had been so inclined to play with her hair, ever since they both had their own hair cut so short.</p><p>As Starfire continued to loop her hair around in a surprisingly skillful manner, the alien girl finally broke the silence.</p><p>"Kasumi, while I must admit to enjoying this greatly, I am most curious as to why you did not simply do this yourself. Your skills in the earthly techniques of 'femininity' are vastly superior to my own."</p><p>Kasumi turned slightly, just enough to face the exotically aesthetic young woman.</p><p>"Well, if I had, then I wouldn't have been able to trick you into letting me into your room," she replied impishly.</p><p>A shocked gasp.</p><p>"Y-you deceived me? But how could you have known that your ploy would be successful?"</p><p>Feeling unusually playful, the Tendo woman raised a finger before her and tried to scrunch up her face as much as possible.</p><p>"You're a decade too early to defeat <em>my </em>big sister skills, child," she stated in her best rendition of a certain, wizened Matriarch.</p><p>Starfire instantly exploded into a fit of giggles, clapping her hands ecstatically.</p><p>"<em>Marvelous</em>!"</p><p>Kasumi gingerly rubbed her cheeks before returning the bubbly young woman's smile. "That little trick used to get me into Akane's room every time." She let out a wistful sigh. "I do miss those days, playing with my sisters' hair and making them look so cute or silly..."</p><p>Suddenly, Starfire clasped her hands, staring her way with glistening, emerald eyes filled to the brim with sympathy. "You – you may braid <em>my </em>hair if you so desire. My own sister was never interested in such <em>meaningless endeavors</em>... or in associating with me at all..."</p><p>"Ahh, there, there," the brunette cooed soothingly into the redhead's ear, pulling the tall girl into a quick hug. She then pushed Starfire back to arms length and stared her straight in those huge, green eyes. "<em>I </em>would love to braid your hair."</p><p>The gleam of tears barely restrained in the younger woman's eyes nearly started Kasumi crying too, but she managed to get a hold of herself. Even though her own hair still hung in a loose, half formed braid, the sisterly Tendo gently turned the alien girl around and began to run her fingers through Starfire's luscious crimson locks.</p><p>"You have the most beautiful hair that I've ever seen, Starfire. I must admit to being a little envious. I wish that I could have such long, soft hair, and such an amazing color."</p><p>Rather than reply, her companion simply released a blissfully contented sigh as Kasumi worked her wonders. It was like running her fingers through spun silk, as she wove the young hero's hair into an intricate braid. She couldn't even find a single split end.</p><p>"So, can you ever forgive me for my deception?" she started teasingly.</p><p>Though she couldn't see it, she could nearly feel the smile that formed on the Tamaranean's lips.</p><p>"Perhaps... if you were to promise to join me in the equipping of our follicles with your earthly hair ornaments."</p><p>It was Kasumi's turn to giggle. "I'd be delighted to. With hair as lovely as yours, I'm certain that we could find a style that would turn a few heads."</p><p>Starfire raised an inquisitive finger into the air... but lowered it a moment later, shrugging to herself. Well, whatever it had been mustn't have been that important. A moment later, the flame haired girl turned to face her, though not enough to pull her silken tresses from Kasumi's hands.</p><p>"I feel inclined to inquire. If engaging in braiding maneuvers upon each other's hair was not your true intent, then for what reason did you wish to speak with me?"</p><p>Kasumi absently began to twirl one of her finger's through Starfire's hair, feeling a bit embarrassed at being put on the spot so abruptly.</p><p>"Well, there were two reasons, really... You see, I was hoping that the two of us might be able to spend some time together. I feel terrible that I've spent so much time under your roof, and yet we've hardly spoken at all. You're a sweet girl, and I was hoping we could be friends."</p><p>Starfire gazed at her with a look of sheer excitement.</p><p>"Of course! Your friendship would be <em>most </em>appreciated!"</p><p>The precious young woman's enthusiasm brought Kasumi's own smile back in full force. She tilted her head to the side as she smiled, continuing her work on her companion's beautiful hair.</p><p>"I'm happy to hear that, Starfire.... As for the second reason... well, the second reason I wished to speak to you is Robin."</p><p>Starfire started slightly at the mention of their erstwhile leader, an indiscernible emotion flitting across her features. Unsure of what it could mean, Kasumi soldiered on.</p><p>"He was very worried that you may be upset with him because of their silly little joke. He wanted to ask you himself, but I asked him if I could instead, since it would finally give me an excuse to chat with you like this."</p><p>The Tamaranean smiled a weak, timid little smile. "H-he was worried for me?"</p><p>She nodded happily. "Very much so... So, are you?"</p><p>Starfire blinked. "...Am I what?"</p><p>"Are you upset with him because of their joke?"</p><p>The younger woman's smile shifted into a petulant, yet oddly adorable scowl and she let out a small sniff of annoyance. "I am not upset with Robin as a result of that most un-humorous attempt at humor. I am upset because he..."</p><p>The alien girl started suddenly, looking at Kasumi as if she'd just realized whom she had been talking to. Starfire then began to fidget nervously, tapping the ends of her fingers together.</p><p>"... um... because... because he... lacks trust in Ryouga... <em>yes</em>, for that reason and no other... heheheh..."</p><p>Kasumi looked at her queerly for a moment, but then shrugged. Starfire had absolutely no reason to lie to her, so there was likely some other reason for her odd behavior.</p><p>"Now, Starfire, you know that Robin respects Ryouga as much as anyone else... but, Ryouga <em>does </em>have... special needs in that certain respect."</p><p>Starfire nodded reluctantly.</p><p>"I know, but the idea of monitoring his movements so, it is most offensive. We are Ryouga's friends, not his K’norfka."</p><p>Unfortunately, Kasumi had absolutely no idea what the girl was talking about, but she nodded in understanding anyway.</p><p>"But weren't you more upset than anyone when Ryouga was lost?"</p><p>The Tamaranean shifted on her seat. "...Yes, I missed him greatly in his absence. However, I do not believe that one's feelings alone give one the right to violate another sentient being in such a way, and without his knowledge."</p><p>The eldest Tendo sister prepared to counter Starfire's argument... but was having trouble doing so. She knew that, even though Robin had been joking, his plan did make some sense; Ryouga had responsibilities beyond himself now and couldn't afford to go missing for weeks or months at a time any longer. However, the fact was that she agreed with Starfire completely...</p><p>Instead, a now familiar sensation bubbled up from the back of her mind, making a terribly naughty suggestion. She would have banished the errant thought right away normally... but the conversation had been getting far too serious for her tastes, and it <em>did </em>seem like a good way to lighten the mood...</p><p>A somewhat sly smile slithered its way onto Kasumi's lips.</p><p>"Oh, I don't know. I'm sure if Garfield had things his way, then Ryouga would be <em>very</em> aware of being 'chipped'."</p><p>The effect was instantaneous, as Starfire's entire face blushed the color of her hair.</p><p>"<em>Kasumi</em>!"</p><p>Kasumi held in the fit of giggles that felt like it was literally going to burst out of her chest. Rather, she winked conspiratorially at the Tamaranean. Leaning forward slightly, she continued in her best attempt at a sultry voice.</p><p>"You have to admit, the idea of those two strapping young men wrestling each other out of their clothing <em>does </em>have certain... merits."</p><p>Starfire began to sputter indignantly in protest to her words, but the seed had already been planted. Kasumi counted down in her head: Three, Two, One...</p><p>"<em>Ack! No</em>! By X'hal! I require the mind soap!"</p><p>The wicked brunette finally allowed her giggles to escape to sweet freedom. Beside her, Starfire swatted frantically around her head in a futile effort to dispel the mental images that Kasumi had just created.</p><p>After several hilarious minutes of watching the young woman sputter and choke as she flailed in disgust, Starfire finally regained enough of her faculties to turn on Kasumi. Starfire fired a half-hearted glare her way, though her cheeks were still burning so bright that her entire face seemed to melt into her flowing hair.</p><p>"<em>You </em>are <em>most </em>evil, Kasumi."</p><p>The aforementioned Tendo continued to giggle impishly.</p><p>"Oh, only half of the time."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Raven smiled shyly at the handsome young man that sat across from her. They had both changed (and thankfully showered... not together, though!). Despite the chill autumn weather, her companion was wearing a black T-shirt and a pair of loose-fitting black slacks which Raven liked quite a bit. Unfortunately, he was still wearing his gaudy bandanna and had an umbrella strapped to his back on a cloudless day, but nobody was perfect.</p><p>She, on the other hand, had taken the weather into account and had dressed somewhat more appropriately. The sorceress was wearing a pair of snuggly fitting black jeans (Starfire had suggested them, though in bright pink...), a flattering mauve top and, of course, a stylish onyx jacket to keep out the cold.</p><p>She watched in amusement as Ryouga went about finishing off the massive omelettes he'd ordered, even as she continued to peck away at the Greek salad which she'd ordered for herself. Again, the pair of them were sitting on the sidewalk patio of the quaint little bistro they had come to frequent over the past several weeks. It was, she thought wistfully, sort of becoming their 'thing'.</p><p>Honestly, she wasn't sure what it was, perhaps because Ryouga had been missing for so long, but she was feeling almost giddy at the moment. Whether it was because of the young man's brashly forward invitation, or simply because, after a week's absence, that his powerfully broadcasting emotions were throwing her off balance once more, she really didn't care.</p><p>"Oh! I almost forgot!"</p><p>Ryouga's sudden outburst shook her from her reverie. The young man frantically dug a hand into one of his pockets and pulled out a small black box. Raven nearly felt her heart stop when she saw the tiny object, but quickly scolded herself for being foolish. There was no way that there was one of 'those' inside that box; she couldn't even imagine what had made her think of something so idiotic.</p><p>"I got you a souvenir while I was lost... well, I got souvenirs for everyone, but yours is the most special."</p><p>Still not trusting herself to speak, she took the tiny wooden box and opened it up. She then looked at the item contained within its confines...</p><p>A startled gasp escaped her lips!</p><p>It was a solid gold arrowhead! Ryouga had looped a golden chain around it, making it into an awfully expensive looking necklace, as well.</p><p>"Where did you get this?" She was unable to keep the shock out of her voice as she asked.</p><p>The boy shrugged nonchalantly. "From my back-"</p><p>Her eyes widened in shock and Ryouga's jaw snapped shut with an audible click-</p><p>"-<em>yard</em>! From my backyard! Yeah... that's it... heheh, boy, people sure lose the craziest things, eh?"</p><p>One of Raven's eyebrows arched in pure skepticism... but given the two alternatives, the less she knew about the former, the better in her estimate. As such, she decided to play along and let him think he'd fooled her with his adorably feeble deception.</p><p>"That's extremely sweet of you. It's absolutely beautiful, Ryouga."</p><p>More than just beautiful, she could feel a weak magical aura clinging to the arrowhead. Even though it was obviously the purest gold she had ever seen, she had no doubt that it was stronger and sharper than any piece of steel could ever hope to be. Where on Earth could he have come into possession of such an item? This was no ornament, it was a weapon, pure and simple... And as considerate as Ryouga's gift was, there was absolutely no way she would have that razor piece of shrapnel dangling between her breasts...</p><p>Not that she would ever tell him that, the poor boy would probably faint dead away at the mere mention of it.</p><p>Ryouga's fanged smile widened immeasurably at her appreciation. "Well, it was the least I could do for worrying you so much. I mean, no one's ever really been worried about me when I've gotten lost before, so it never occurred to me that anything was different this time around."</p><p>Feeling strangely sympathetic, Raven dropped a comforting hand on the fanged martial artist's and offered him a weak smile. She wasn't used to smiling, but this was the first time that anyone had ever given her jewelry before (however deadly), so she figured she could give it a try.</p><p>"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault and we can hardly expect you to change who you are just because it would be convenient for us. In fact..." she trailed of weakly, "I would be disappointed if you stopped being the fascinating young man whom I've come to know."</p><p>Ryouga's cheeks reddened visibly at her words and the Lost Boy began running his free hand through the hair at the back of his head in that naively cute manner of his. He didn't remove his other hand from hers, though.</p><p>"Umm, heh... well, I don't plan on changing any time soon," he stammered nervously, "Ah, as a <em>person</em>, I mean! I'm still going to change clothes and stuff, I mean, that would get pretty bad if I never changed at all..."</p><p>Raven rolled her eyes as the fanged boy tripped over his own words for nearly half a minute, trying desperately not to embarrass himself, and failing more thoroughly with each word. The sorceress eventually decided to take pity on her companion.</p><p>"Ryouga," she cut him off gently, "Why don't you tell me the reason that you ran off like you did. I mean, it's not like you to forget your backpack or your umbrella behind..."</p><p>She paused thoughtfully.</p><p>"... Speaking of which, where <em>did</em> you get that new umbrella, anyway? She inquired about the sleek and expensive looking ebony umbrella what was still strapped to the boy's back, even as they were sitting and eating.</p><p>Somehow, Ryouga managed to display three of his nervous traits simultaneously.</p><p>"Ummm... would you believe an eccentric collector gave it to me?"</p><p>She shot him a flat look.</p><p>"Not when you say it like that, no."</p><p>Ryouga's nervous laugh grew continually weaker in the face of her potently neutral expression. Finally, he broke it off altogether to cough politely into his fist-</p><p>"<em>Anyway</em>." The boy shifted topics with all the subtlety of a bulldozer. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about, Raven."</p><p>She quirked an eyebrow.</p><p>"About your umbrella?" she deadpanned.</p><p>"No!" Ryouga's frustrated outburst curled the corner of Raven's lip up into a smirk. "I meant about me getting lost."</p><p>Immediately, all the frustration, nervousness and embarrassment on the fanged boy's face vanished. It was replaced by an expression of excited pride that she was certain she'd never seen on his face before.</p><p>"I <em>did</em> it, Raven! I mean, I think I did it. It all makes sense now, what I saw, so I think I know how to do it!"</p><p>"Did what? What do you know how to do?" she asked, honestly confused at his sudden rambling.</p><p>"<em>Save Terra</em>!"</p><p>Raven's violet eyes shot open in shock. She could only stare at Ryouga for a moment, mouth agape.</p><p>"You... you know how to restore Terra?" she asked, not quite believing what she was hearing.</p><p>He nodded fervently. "<em>Yes</em>! I think I know why she turned to stone, and why she got stuck that way. So, now I know what I need to do to bring her back."</p><p>Bringing Terra back... how long had they been searching for an answer? It had been months since the girl had sacrificed herself to save their city, and now it was possible that her return was within grasp.</p><p>So why didn't she know what to say?</p><p>"T-that's amazing, Ryouga. I'm certain that everyone will be thrilled to hear your news..."</p><p>She trailed off warily.</p><p>"... Ryouga... is there some reason you didn't tell everyone else about this revelation earlier?"</p><p>"Heheh... well, I know <em>what </em>I need to do... I'm just not exactly sure <em>how </em>I'm going to do it yet."</p><p>She stared at him silently.</p><p>"Then the point of telling me is?"</p><p>His determined expression returned twofold and Ryouga leaned forward excitedly.</p><p>"Because, of everyone I know, <em>you </em>are the one person that can help me! My knowledge might be more specific, but I doubt anyone short of Cologne knows more about energy manipulation than you."</p><p>Raven nodded slowly. It was true that she had a lot of experience in the field, and Cologne's training had only expounded on that.</p><p>"So, you believe that I'll be of some help to you?" Her tiny smirk finally began to return of its own volition. "Does this mean that you'll finally allow me to join you in Terra's Cavern?"</p><p>Ryouga let out a bark of laughter.</p><p>"What? Of course!" He dropped his free hand over hers and matched her gaze with one of fiery intensity. "Raven, over the coming days, you will be the most important girl in the <em>world </em>to me."</p><p>"..."</p><p>No words would come; Raven had literally been struck speechless. The way he had said her name, the way his eyes seemed to pierce her very soul, the warmth of his hands in hers. She wasn't too keen on the 'coming days' part, but this was the first time she'd ever received such a compliment, so she'd take it.</p><p>Today was proving to be quite the ground-breaking day, she noted absently.</p><p>Ryouga was acting so confident, so self-assured. It was something she rarely ever saw from the shy, nervous young man, at least outside of battle. Oddly, it made her think of Ranma; that boy was always brimming over with confidence, just shy of actual arrogance. Of course, <em>that </em>boy was every bit as childish and immature as Cyborg and Beast Boy. Ranma completely lacked Ryouga's smoldering intensity and maturity.</p><p>A small giggle escaped her lips at the thought, eliciting an interrogative from her companion.</p><p>"Is something funny?" he asked, looking at her oddly.</p><p>A little reluctantly, she withdrew her hands from his so she could tuck several errant strands of hair behind her ear. She responded to his perplexed stare with a wry smile.</p><p>"No-no, nothing like that. I was just thinking... do you know that you are one of the few boys I know that has never called me Rae?"</p><p>Ryouga smiled sheepishly.</p><p>"Well, I know how much you hate that... besides, I like the way your name sounds... Raven."</p><p>A wistful sigh escaped her lips; maybe she was enjoying this moment more than she probably should but could hardly bring herself to care. Why couldn't the Fanged Warrior be this confident all the time?</p><p>"You know," she drawled, lost in her own little world, "If someone combined you and Ranma, you would make the perfect man..."</p><p><em>'Oooh, Brrrr</em>!'</p><p>Raven quickly pulled her jacket closed as it felt like an arctic gale was trying its best to lash her to the bone. That was one of the reasons that she detested autumn; she did <em>not </em>do cold. And that was before one even took her usual outfit into consideration!</p><p>Without warning, Ryouga rose to his feet. The look on his face was positively unreadable. It struck her as slightly odd, considering she could normally read him like Beast Boy read a comic book, but considering how many other unbelievable things had been happening over this seemingly simple breakfast, it hardly registered.</p><p>"Please excuse me. I have to use the washroom."</p><p>Raven nodded absently, still buttoning up her jacket to try to battle the sudden cold snap that had descended over them.</p><p>"Of course, Ryouga."</p><p><em>'What a polite young man</em>.' No one else she knew would bother excusing themselves like that.</p><p>Hmm, that was predictable. Just as she finished doing up the last button of her jacket, the cold breeze suddenly decided to subside. She considered undoing the jacket again but felt too lazy. Idly, she began to pick at her salad again, releasing another wistful sigh as she imagined what the next few days would entail, working side by side with Ryouga...</p><p>As she sat, patiently awaiting his return.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"-and by the time I realized what I had just allowed to happen, twenty minutes had already passed."</p><p>Beast Boy and the rest of the Tower's occupants (those present, anyway) listened to the tail end of Raven's droll, yet quite amusing story. The snazzily dressed girl seemed to be taking the whole ordeal well... she obviously wasn't interpreting Ryouga's actions the same way that <em>he </em>was.</p><p>Before anyone else had the chance to say anything, the changeling stuck out his hand to forestall them.</p><p>"Wait-wait-<em>wait </em>just a minute!" he barked excitedly. He then pointed at Raven. "Are <em>you</em> telling <em>us </em>that Ryo asked you out, only so he could pull the old 'Dine and Dash' and stick you with the bill?"</p><p>The perfectly calm expression adorning Raven's pale face cracked slightly at his needling. She folded her arms under her chest and leveled a warning look in his direction.</p><p>"I prefer the way which <em>I </em>explained it, thank you."</p><p>The shape shifter knew it was probably insensitive, but he just couldn't help himself.</p><p>"<em>Hahahahaha! </em>Dudes, that is the most <em>awesome </em>prank <em>ever</em>!" He turned and slapped Cyborg on the shoulder. "Man, talk about sacrificing your life for the sake of the art."</p><p>He went for a high five with his best friend... only to be left <em>hanging</em>. The much larger teen stared down at him in disappointment.</p><p>"No. Just, <em>no</em>, Man; worlds and worlds of <em>No</em>."</p><p>Beast Boy felt his jaw drop open in shock. Cyborg <em>didn't </em>think it was funny? The changeling looked around the room in a desperate search for support, but each glare he met was somehow harsher than the last... at least until he got to Kasumi. The one woman that he figured would be most disappointed in him was wearing a tiny, secretive little smile...</p><p>"Beast Boy's unbelievable insensitivity aside," Robin stated seriously. This move likely saved Beast Boy's life, however inadvertently, as it changed the subject. "Do you know where Ryouga is? I'd hate to think we've lost him within twelve hours of <em>finding </em>him."</p><p>Starfire nodded, looking a little more miffed than Beast Boy remembered seeing her regarding the Lost Boy.</p><p>"Indeed! Did we not just have this self-same conversation this morning? I shall endeavor to give Ryouga a fragment of my cerebellum regarding his rude behavior and carelessness."</p><p>Everyone just stared at the Tamaranean. Hesitantly, Cyborg raised an inquisitive finger, but Robin just shook his head from side to side and Cyborg lowered it once more. Thankfully, Raven was the first to recover.</p><p>"There is nothing to worry about in that regard. Ryouga still has his communicator. When I finally realized he wasn't coming back, it was the first thing I checked. He's currently in Terra's cave. Judging by how long it usually takes us to make that walk, one would think he had run the entire way."</p><p>"<em>Ooooh..."</em></p><p>Again, the attention of everyone was drawn back to Starfire, just in time to catch the girl wincing at some imagined pain. She noticed their stares and began to giggle weakly.</p><p>"Eheheh... Well, it is just that... it has been my experience that the only occasions during which Ryouga is able to determine the proper route to any given location are during moments when he is either obliviously happy, or terribly upset... For him to have traversed such a distance unaided, he must have been <em>most </em>upset."</p><p>"Huh?" Beast Boy hopped back into the conversation. "What makes you say that? Didn't you say he could just as easily have been stupidly happy?"</p><p>The redheaded alien offered him an uncharacteristically flat look. "Trust in my veracity. Ryouga's proficiency for prolonging periods of negative emotional impacts is disproportionately large in comparison with his ability to enjoy periods of positive emotional support."</p><p>"Huh?"</p><p>Robin moved in and quickly nodded. "Of course, we believe you, Star." The masked boy shot Beast Boy a look that just screamed 'I have no idea what she just said, but let's go with it'. "It's just... what possible reason could he have to be upset? I mean, he was out for breakfast with Raven."</p><p>Beast Boy peered at the Boy Wonder, wondering if he was completely sane.</p><p>"Um, dude? And you <em>can't </em>think of a reason that he'd be upset?"</p><p>Suddenly, the changeling felt a vice-like hand drop onto his shoulder and pull him well clear of Raven. Cyborg leaned down and whispered harshly into his ear, "For the love of God, BB, <em>shut up </em>before you get yourself killed!"</p><p>Seeing the logic in his learned companion's advice, Beast Boy decided to comply and quickly zipped his lips. Once all the girls finished glaring at him (except for Kasumi, again), they went back to ignoring him. A thoughtful look then crept onto Raven's face.</p><p>"I can't think of anything... Though, now that you mention it, he was acting slightly odd when he excused himself. I don't know what could have caused it, though."</p><p>Robin rubbed his chin with a gloved finger, Beast Boy could almost see the Detective gears in his head start to turn. "Did something happen? Did you say something, did <em>he </em>say something? Anything at all that could explain what could have set him off? After all, he was <em>very </em>excited at the prospect of getting breakfast with you, so for him to do that, <em>something </em>must have happened."</p><p>The violet eyed Titan continued her ruminations. "Well, he had just given me the necklace, then we discussed why he had rushed out of Terra's cavern so rashly... Hmm, I remember what a pleasant change it was for Ryouga to be acting so assertive and confident..."</p><p>Raven tilted her head to the side and lifted a knuckle to her chin as she thought.</p><p>"Then I made a rather innocuous joke about combining Ryouga's maturity with Ranma's self confidence, but-"</p><p>"<strong>Ohhhh</strong>! A rookie mistake!" Cyborg's outburst cut off the sorceress and the titanium Titan began shaking his head sadly. "You hate to see that happen; you really do."</p><p>Beast Boy quickly slid to the side, vacating the space between Raven and Cyborg. He could see the tiny vein on Raven's forehead start to pulse dangerously as she glared at Cyborg.</p><p>"<em>What</em> are you talking about? What mistake?"</p><p>Cyborg smirked knowingly. "Rae, Rae, Rae, you can't just go comparing guys with other guys. You might as well be saying 'That guy is better than you, because'..."</p><p>Raven looked more confused than anything by his response.</p><p>"Why ever not? I constantly tell you and Beast Boy that you could desperately use some of Robin's maturity and it's never bothered you."</p><p>Cyborg shrugged. "Well, that's because we're best buds."</p><p>"And, because it's true!" Beast Boy added helpfully.</p><p>"However," Robin interjected, "Ryouga's made it pretty clear that he only sees Ranma as a rival. Now, I don't know much about <em>their </em>relationship, but I do know a lot about rivalries. And trust me, Raven, if <em>anyone </em>even <em>insinuated </em>that Speedy was my superior in any way... well, I probably wouldn't have been as polite as Ryouga was."</p><p>Smirking wickedly, Cyborg nodded his agreement. "See, Rae? The male ego is a delicate creature, and, on your first quasi-date, you managed to kick Ryouga's right where it hurts."</p><p>Raven rolled her eyes dramatically.</p><p>"First of all, it was <em>not </em>a date of any kind. And secondly, I am supposed to believe that the three of <em>you </em>are experts on the inner workings of Ryouga's mind, and know exactly how he feels about Ranma, is that right?" she fired back sarcastically.</p><p>"Saotome Ranma is possessed of a disproportionate arrogance which magnifies his many other negative traits to truly unbearable levels. He incessantly remonstrates events which are trivial and exaggerates the negative aspects of his curse, if one can even call his affliction a curse, he is unappreciative and undeserving of the many and plentiful gifts which his life has been blessed with and... and he smells funny!"</p><p>Dead silence...</p><p><em>Slowly </em>everyone turned to regard the heavily panting Starfire, who was still recovering from her unexpected rant. Under the weight of their combined scrutiny, the Tamaranean quickly blushed and began to giggle nervously.</p><p>Beast Boy was the first to break the silence. "First of all, that was <em>awesome, </em>Star! Secondly, where the heck did that come from? I didn't know you hated Ranma!"</p><p>Now tapping the tips of her fingers together in embarrassment, the alien girl endeavored to explain.</p><p>"I do not harbor dislike for him, in fact, his assistance against the Brother Blood was most appreciated. However, I felt it would be helpful if someone present were to speak on Ryouga's behalf... and Raven <em>did </em>wish for an accurate representation of his views on Ranma..."</p><p>The emerald changeling nodded in a sagely manner. "Um-hmm, um-hmmm, yes-yes, I see..." He then spun on Raven and dramatically pointed a finger right in her face. "<em>Ha</em>! In your <em>face</em>, Raven! We so nailed you on that!"</p><p>"Now stop that right now, all of you!"</p><p>The sound of Kasumi finally entering the conversation had exactly the effect the young woman desired. Everyone instantly shut their traps and spun to regard the slightly frowning Tendo. Kasumi took several steps forward, bringing her side by side with Raven. For a moment, the brunette looked like she was about to lay her hands on the violet haired girl's shoulders in support... but quickly reconsidered and clasped them together in front of her skirt.</p><p>"You should all be ashamed of yourselves, picking on poor Raven like that. She didn't intend for any of this to happen."</p><p>Raven turned to stare at the apron-clad woman, looking quite surprised.</p><p>"...Thank you... Kasumi."</p><p>If Kasumi even heard the young hero's gratitude, she gave no indication. Instead, she just kept right on speaking.</p><p>"After all, if Raven isn't able to appreciate Ryouga for who he is, then that is between the two of them."</p><p>Raven nodded in agreement. "Yes, exact-wait a minute! <em>What</em>?"</p><p>Kasumi didn't even miss a beat.</p><p>"Now, unless I'm mistaken, this is a team of super<em>heroes</em>, not a team of super <em>gossips</em>. So, I'm certain that you all have better things to do than stand around harassing poor Raven, here."</p><p>Everyone ruminated on that thought, except for poor Raven, who was still looking shell shocked. Finally, Robin raised a hand.</p><p>"Not particu-"</p><p>Kasumi's eyes narrowed a fraction of a millimeter.</p><p>"-uuuo know, you're absolutely right! My crime files <em>really </em>need alphabetizing."</p><p>Robin flew the coop.</p><p>"I believe that it is my turn for which to patrol our fair city!"</p><p>Starfire achieved escape velocity.</p><p>"Ah... I think I left the nuclear pile sitting out again!"</p><p>Cyborg rolled out.</p><p>Damn! Unfortunately, Beast Boy didn't have an actual excuse like everyone else; he'd have to think on his feet... Wait a minute, that was it!</p><p>Donning his most freaked out expression, the shape shifter pointed dramatically behind Kasumi.</p><p>"<em>Look, a <strong>distraction</strong></em>!"</p><p>Kasumi stared at him, smiling politely...</p><p>He kept on pointing dramatically, waving his arm a little bit to emphasize the danger she was in.</p><p>The brunette continued to stare at him, her head tilting to the side as her smile grew wider.</p><p>'<em>Damn</em>!' It wasn't working, but he'd invested far too much effort into it now. The problem was that she knew it was a distraction, so if he wanted it to work, he <em>really </em>needed to sell it. He continued his frantic pointing, combined it with a desperate lean forward, then did his absolute best to use his eyes to complete the deception.</p><p>After continuing to look at him for several long seconds, the naïve young woman finally turned to look to where he was pointing. He was absolutely certain that it wasn't out of pity, either.</p><p>"Aha!" Vindicated, he took the opportunity to make his break for it.</p><p>Which, of course, left Kasumi and Raven standing side by side, the latter still staring at the former in incomprehension.</p><p>"Kasumi... what exactly did-"</p><p>"Oh my! Look at the time, I have to go do the shopping."</p><p>And then there was one...</p><p>And she was certain there wasn't another person on the surface of the Earth in a worse mood.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"<em>Why can't you be more like Ranma? Why can't you be more like Ranma?</em>" The high pitched, nasally voice he was whining in probably wasn't making him look overly mature, but he could hardly be bothered by that now.</p><p>Not that Hibiki Ryouga <em>whined</em>. No, he was just... <em>seething</em>. Yes, that sounded way better; he was seething with rage, rage only barely contained!</p><p>"What was I <em>thinking</em>? That was so <em>stupid</em>!"</p><p>Unfortunately, most of said rage was aimed at himself this go-around.</p><p>"Asking her for <em>help</em>? She must think I'm a total <em>loser </em>now! <em>Ranma </em>would never ask for help," he sneered his rival's name with all of the venom he could muster.</p><p>He bet Raven thought <em>Ranma</em> would have already figured out how to restore Terra by now. After all, Ranma was the best and the brightest, wasn't he? <em>Everyone </em>wanted Ranma, wanted him as a friend, or a student, or just plain wanted him. Why should Raven be any different? Heck, the only two girls that didn't were Starfire and Jinx... bless their narrow-framed hearts.</p><p>That thought brought him up short. An only slightly bitter smile twisted the corner of his lip as he looked up into the eyes of his companion.</p><p>"You believe in me too, don't you, Terra?" he asked, ignoring the disturbing implications of talking to an inanimate statue.</p><p>As always, he took her silence as agreement. Jinx, Starfire, and Terra... what was with him and skinny girls? The Lost Boy chuckled weakly. Sure, it was only three people in the whole world, but they believed in <em>him</em>... or, at the very least were relying on <em>him</em>.</p><p>Yeah, he'd show Raven. He'd save Terra <em>without </em>her help, just like a real man would. Then she'd <em>have </em>to see that he was just as good as Ranma.</p><p>"No!" He shot to his feet, holding out his fist in fiery determination. Staring fiercely, he made a proclamation to his captive audience of one.</p><p>"I won't just save you, Terra. I'll take my mastery of the Bakusai Tenketsu to the next level and use it to defeat Ranma, <em>once and for all</em>! HahahahaHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA!"</p><p>Ryouga stopped suddenly, peering all around himself nervously. This was usually the point when he realized he was surrounded by strangers and making a complete idiot of himself...</p><p>Except for Terra, the monolithic cavern was barren.</p><p>Hmm, what the heck?</p><p>"<em>BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"</em></p><p>Man, that felt good. Hey, this cave had a surprisingly good echo, too.</p><p>"<em>Damn you, Ranma!"</em></p><p>
  <em>"-a!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"-a!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"-a!"</em>
</p><p>He chuckled in amusement.  "...Nice."</p><p>Well, now that <em>that</em> was out of his system, Ryouga pulled out his trusty hexagonal communicator and flipped it open.</p><p>"Cyborg, this is Ryouga. I need you to bring me some things..."</p><p>"I've got work to do."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Robin lashed out with a lightning quick jab, forcing his opponent to duck frantically to the side to avoid it. He'd anticipated that, though, and followed up with a rapid combination of a right hook, spinning into a flashing backhand, which flowed down into a flawless leg sweep. His opponent was so busy dodging out of the way of his higher strikes, that the circular, sweeping attack struck her ankles with enough force to knock her legs out from under her and drop her to the firm matting of the floor.</p><p>Kasumi winced slightly and gingerly rubbed her bottom, upon which she had landed. The innocuous gesture instantly brought a surge of red to Robin's cheeks and he frantically looked to the side, even as he simultaneously offered her a hand to help her back to her feet.</p><p>"Uhm," he cleared his throat quickly, "That was really good, Kasumi, you've really come a long way in your training."</p><p>The gi clad Tendo offered him a sunny smile and slid her graceful hand into his. With a quick tug, he had the lovely woman back on her feet.</p><p>"That's very nice of you to say, Robin, but it <em>does </em>seem like it's always me flat on my back when these matches are done," she replied, giggling with the crystal purity of a wind chime.</p><p>Robin chuckled lightly, then began to lead his student to the benches for a quick rest.</p><p>"Well, I <em>have </em>been doing this for a little longer. Not to mention the extra training I got from Cologne and Happosai... if you can call it that."</p><p>Kasumi tittered in amusement. "Oh, Grandfather always had so much fun training Ranma. My, the shenanigans those two would get into."</p><p>Once they reached the bench, Robin flopped down and started to wipe the sweat from his face with a conveniently placed towel. He still couldn’t tell if she was being naively optimistic, or just teasing him mercilessly, so he just nodded in agreement.</p><p>"Yeah, well," he shifted the topic away from perverted masters of the martial arts, "After Cyborg told me how fired up Ryouga was to 'redouble his efforts to restore Terra' yesterday, it really inspired me to get back to your training as well."</p><p>His companion smiled, though it looked somewhat weaker than usual. "Yes, and I appreciate your concern for my well being... but, do you know what would be even more fun than training all day long?"</p><p>Robin considered her question carefully.</p><p>"Running through the obstacle course?"</p><p>The eldest Tendo sister shot him a flat stare, though it only lasted a second.</p><p>"Yeeeess... there <em>is </em>that, but I had something a little less... harrowing in mind. Like, perhaps, you accompany Starfire to that new movie that just opened in the theaters. She's been hinting to Raven and me that she would really like to go see it."</p><p>The Boy Wonder could only imagine what Starfire 'hinting' at something could possibly entail... though five-foot neon signs did come to mind for some reason. He considered his options quickly.</p><p>"That new <em>romantic comedy</em>?" he drawled warily.</p><p>The brunette nodded excitedly, smile literally beaming.</p><p>Riiight... Still, he'd have to be diplomatic about this. As much as the idea of spending two hours in a darkened theater with Starfire filled his chest with funny, not completely uncomfortable, feelings... the idea of watching <em>anything</em> with Hugh Grant in it offended his strict sense of honor.</p><p>"You know that I would <em>love </em>to, Kasumi... however..." He floundered for a moment, but luckily for him, he had been trained by the best, and <em>no one</em> made-up last-minute excuses like Bruce Wayne. "... However, my responsibilities as the team leader take precedence right now. I have to make sure that everyone on my team, especially you, can defend themselves properly. I mean, we lost nearly a week of your training searching for Ryouga, so now it's twice as important that we get back to work."</p><p>Hey, that hadn’t been too bad.</p><p>Kasumi gave him an odd look, on anyone else he might have called it skeptical, but then the lovely woman gave out a long sigh and nodded.</p><p>"Alright, Robin, if only to put your mind at ease, we can continue. I just don't want you to forget your responsibilities as a friend on my account."</p><p>The vigilante nodded, hiding his grin over the rampant success of his plan.</p><p>"It should only take another week, two at the most, if we really push the envelope." By that time, Starfire's movie should be out of theaters and he could take her to an actual <em>good </em>movie. "At the rate you're improving, I'm confident you'll be able to defend yourself from anyone by then."</p><p>For a moment, an odd look flitted across Kasumi's face, but then she let out another weak sigh and bravely put on a wide smile for him.</p><p>"Well, I suppose another week or two couldn't hurt too much..."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Raven awoke with a start, her eyes shooting wide open and a strangled half-scream on her lips. She quickly sat up in her wide, gothic styled bed, her satin sheets falling to her waist to reveal her nightgown clinging uncomfortably to her chest, a sheen of cold sweat gleaming across her now clammy skin. Still breathing raggedly from her unexpected awakening, the trembling woman did the first thing she could think of...</p><p>With desperate haste, she snatched her communicator from the nightstand and snapped it open. Entering a sequence of buttons by rote, the screen blinked to life, revealing a vaguely familiar redheaded girl, apparently sitting at a desk.</p><p>Looking off to the side for a moment, as if confirming something, Ranma quickly turned her attention back to Raven and a wide smirk split her face.</p><p>"Yo, Rae. Yer up pretty early, heck, I'm still workin' on my homework..."</p><p>Except, now that Raven had Ranma on the line... she had absolutely no idea what to say.</p><p>"..."</p><p>At her silence, Ranma pulled the communicator closer to her face, as if that would somehow improve her view of Raven.  It must have worked to some degree because she could clearly see the redhead's gaze slowly slide downwards, her cheeks beginning to match her hair as it did. It was about then that Raven remembered her nightgown was still plastered to her skin. Luckily, before she had the chance to wrap her mind around the idea of a young <em>woman </em>ogling her and getting offended, or worse, Ranma coughed guiltily and quickly shifted her eyes back up to match Raven's.</p><p>No longer... distracted, Ranma seemed to take a moment to take in her condition. A moment later, the redhead’s eyes widened in understanding.</p><p>"Oh, jeez, Rae, I'll be back in a sec..."</p><p>The tiny screen suffered from a blur of jarring motion as the picture shifted quickly to an uninspiring view of a ceiling. In the background, she could hear some various sounds of activity, punctuated by the sound of running sink, then, moments later, the familiar raven-haired form of Ranma filled the screen once more. Several wisps of steam were still rising from the boy's hair.</p><p>"There we go, Raven. Now, how are you doing?"</p><p>Almost like magic, the soft baritone of her friend's familiar and comforting voice melted away the anxiety that had been holding her own tongue. She let out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding.</p><p>"Thank you, Ranma... I'm feeling much better, now."</p><p>An uncharacteristically serious expression remained on the young man's face. He arched an eyebrow in an amusingly skeptical and familiar manner.</p><p>"You sure? You looked pretty shaken up there." He gazed at her suspiciously. "Have you still not told anyone about this, yet? I mean, I know I'm great and all, but I can't exactly do too much for you from half a world away."</p><p>She rolled her eyes in mild annoyance. "There would be no point in telling anyone here. None of them could do anything for me, so all it would accomplish would be to worry them needlessly. Besides... hearing your voice helps more than anything else I've tried..."</p><p>Ranma snorted loudly. "Yeah, well... I guess... Still, you don't wanna worry anyone over there, but its fair game to worry me? Is that right?"</p><p>A weak smirk found its way onto her lips.</p><p>"I do believe that's the general point I was trying to make, yes. After all, it's not like a <em>man amongst men </em>such as yourself is even capable of being <em>worried </em>about someone, isn't that right?"</p><p>"<em>Argh</em>! Yer lucky I like ya so much, or else I don't think I'd be able to put up with your lip like I do. Seriously, though, I really think you should tell someone else over there... like R-"</p><p>"Ranma," she stated firmly, cutting him off, "Can we please just drop it? I-I really don't feel up to talking about this right now."</p><p>The pigtailed boy looked to be gearing up to be his usual stubborn self for a moment... before letting out a long sigh, doing a credible imitation of a deflating balloon.</p><p>"Fine, fine. What <em>do</em> ya wanna talk about, then?"</p><p>The violet haired female trailed a finger along her cheek as she considered her options. "Well, it's been <em>two </em>nights and Ryouga still hasn-"</p><p>"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Ranma held up a hand on his end of the communication to stop her. "You remember what the deal is about you complaining to me about Bacon Bits."</p><p>She arched an eyebrow and shot him a dirty look.</p><p>"I <em>don't </em>complain."</p><p>Surprisingly, he matched her glare and crossed his arms over his chest.</p><p>"But-"</p><p>His glare only intensified.</p><p>"<em>'Sigh'</em> – fine: Every time I <em>discuss </em>Ryouga with you, I have to help you with your homework. So, what do you have to do?"</p><p>Ranma's trademark smirk bloomed on his face, very much making her want to reach through the tiny screen and strangle him. She considered trying to Force choke him, regardless, but was worried there was a small chance it could work. Still, she was beginning to understand Akane a little better, now.</p><p>"Heh heh heh. Just got some Finite, a little Geography, and then a short story for my literature class."</p><p>She groaned out loud. "<em>What</em>? Do you stockpile your homework until I call you now?"</p><p>Ranma's smirk only widened. "I refuse to answer that question on the ground that I might incriminate myself."</p><p>The teen hero rolled her eyes in serious annoyance this time. Still, she didn't mind it nearly as much as she maintained. Helping the pigtailed boy with his schoolwork was quite entertaining, and she was learning as much by doing so as he was, since he was technically a year or two ahead of her in most subjects. It even forced her to work on certain things that she wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole if given the choice, Finite being one of those things.</p><p>"Alright, but we'll save the story for last, since that should be fun in comparison."</p><p>A wry chuckle was his reply.</p><p>"Okay, then, the usual routine, I'll point the communicator at the textbook and you can talk about whatever ya want."</p><p>For the umpteenth time, Raven rolled her eyes at her companion's attitude. But, as was their usual routine, she quickly dug out the pad of paper and pencil hidden in the drawer of her nightstand and began to write out the complicated mathematical formula so that she could begin to decipher it.</p><p>"Now, as I was saying," she continued, "Ryouga hasn't shown his face since we parted ways at the Bistro. I don't think he's forgiven me for the comment I made yet."</p><p>The screen flashed again, once more filled by the incredulously staring face of Ranma.</p><p>"Well, <em>duh</em>, Rae! <em>I </em>still haven't forgiven you for that comment! I mean, sticking me and <em>P-Chan</em> together? That's just so many levels of wrong that I <em>still </em>can't wrap my mind around it. As if there's <em>anything </em>about Ryouga that could improve on <em>me</em>!"</p><p>A wry smirk quirked her lips.</p><p>"Oh, I don't know, a small dose of humility would probably go a long way right about now."</p><p>"Oh, har-dee har har, <em>Rae</em>. Maybe we should give you a humor transplant from <em>Jinx</em>, I bet that'd be an improvement."</p><p>The half-demon's eyes narrowed dangerously.</p><p>"Careful, Ran<em>ko</em>, that's not even remotely the same kind of situation."</p><p>"<em>Oh, reeeaaally</em>? Maybe you can elucidate me on how exactly it differs-"</p><p>Before she could think to ask Ranma where on earth he had picked up the word 'elucidate', let alone use it correctly, the ring of knuckle on metal rang like a cymbal going off right inside Raven's skull. The sudden, and extremely unexpected ruckus nearly scared the poor sorceress spitless.</p><p>Judging by the tempo and deceptive force behind the strikes, it didn't take much to figure that it was Starfire at her door. Raven glanced quickly at her communicator, only to see Ranma laughing hysterically at the look of shock that must have filled the Titan's face. She growled at him threateningly.</p><p>"Not. A. Word. I'll get back to you in a moment."</p><p>She then slid out of bed and made her way to the door. The floor was cool, but the carpet kept it bearable to walk across. Thankfully, her quiet chat with Ranma had given her a chance to cool down, and her nightgown was again flowing normally... not that she really cared if Starfire saw her in such a way, but it was just more comfortable to walk in now.</p><p>Raven slid the door open roughly two inches to glare balefully at the fully clad Tamaranean floating hopefully in her hallway.</p><p>"Starfire, do you have any idea just what time it is?"</p><p>Starfire nodded obligingly. "In Galactic Standard Time it is Throng-Repnak-Ba'an."</p><p>Raven's stare was as flat as glass.</p><p>"In Earth time, Starfire."</p><p>The Tamaranean giggled helplessly. "Eheheh... I believe it is Five Thirty-Seven in the A. M."</p><p>Raven let out a weary sigh.</p><p>"And you are knocking on my door at this ungodly hour because?"</p><p>"Ummm, well, I was returning to my room from a post midnight-midnight snacking endeavor... when I heard you speaking to someone as I passed your door. As such, since you are already awake, I desired to make a request of you."</p><p>Suddenly, Starfire held up her hand, revealing their contents for Raven to see...</p><p>A pair of crisp, new movie tickets.</p><p>Raven looked at the tickets rather drolly. She then looked back up to Starfire.</p><p>"At five thirty-seven in the morning, you are asking me to go to watch a romantic comedy with you?"</p><p>Starfire nodded enthusiastically.</p><p>"I had asked Robin yesterday, but he was quite adamant that his training of Kasumi took precedence over the watching of a movie in my company while devouring untold amounts of unhealthy, yet delicious foodstuffs."</p><p>Raven wavered for a moment, feeling a little sorry for the girl... still, she had an image to maintain.</p><p>"I'm sorry, Starfire. However, I prefer my romances to be of the tragic variety."</p><p>Starfire quickly muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like "I had not noticed", but Raven hadn't quite caught it.</p><p>"What was that?"</p><p>"<em>Nothing, </em>nothing. Well, I must be on my way. Perhaps some other person will wish to accompany me on my adventure to the cinema of movie viewing."</p><p>With that, the Tamaranean began to float forlornly down the hallway. Unable to resist a final parting shot, Raven let out a mutter of her own.</p><p>"Yeah, good luck with that."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The soldier carefully made his way down the long, alien looking catwalk hanging between the massive trees which grew all around him. His S Variation/Mark VI MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor didn't slow him in the slightest, fitting to his body just as flawlessly as it had been designed to. The HUD of his visor displayed, in great detail, the enormous alien structure that sprawled out before him, almost appearing to be growing out of the very trees themselves.</p><p>Even though the ancient Forerunner installation that they were searching through had been abandoned for thousands of years, judging by the insanely huge jungle that had grown up and around the structure, he <em>knew </em>that the massive complex had at least one inhabitant now. He absently checked the ammo in both of his Spikers, not wanting to run out if a firefight suddenly broke out.</p><p>Still, despite the stakes, he just couldn't keep his eye on the prize. Fidgeting slightly, he turned back to his companion, a fellow Spartan wearing the Extra Vehicular Activity variation of the MJOLNIR armor, though his was colored in drastic contrast to his own. While his companion's was bright white, with pale blue highlights, he had colored his in alternating slashes of purple and green. Personally, he liked his odds better in this jungle terrain than his buddies, not that he'd mention that till it was too late.</p><p>"Man, Ryo has been down in that cave for <em>three </em>days, Cy. How much longer do ya think it's gonna take?"</p><p>His white and blue teammate shifted the massive Spartan Laser on his shoulder, but before he could reply, another Spartan cut in. This warrior was wearing the standard Mark VI MJOLNIR Powered Armor, though his coloration was a very bold combination of yellow and black.</p><p>"Sheesh, Beast Boy, I'm sitting two seats down from you on the couch. I <em>can </em>hear you when you talk about me."</p><p>Spartan Beast Boy turned to glare at the black and yellow Spartan Ryouga.</p><p>"Yeah, and <em>I </em>told you that I wasn't acknowledging your existence until Terra was back to normal! Who let you out of your cave, anyway?"</p><p>Spartan Cyborg chuckled evilly.</p><p>"Oh, Kasumi told him, pleasantly as could be, that if he skipped one more meal to eat pizza down in that cave, then he could skip the <em>rest </em>of his meals <em>from now on</em> to eat pizza down in that cave."</p><p>Had Spartan Beast Boy's helmet allowed, his jaw would have dropped open in shock.</p><p>"Whoa, dude, that's harsh."</p><p>Spartan Ryouga nodded sadly, absently switching between his Battle Rifle and his Plasma Sword... either that, or the guy was still figuring out which buttons did what.</p><p>"Tell me about it.  I've grown to love pizza as much as the next guy - though if you tell Ukyou that, I'll deny it and kill you all - but I'm not giving up Kasumi's cooking for anything."</p><p>"Besides," another Spartan entered the conversation, this one wearing Close Quarters Battle Armor done in black and red and toting a long-barreled alien sniper rifle. "As important as freeing Terra is, we can't keep Ryouga locked in her cave twenty-four-seven, Beast Boy. He's our teammate, not our slave."</p><p>Spartan Ryouga turned to nod to Spartan Robin.</p><p>"<em>Thank you</em>."</p><p>"Okay, seriously, are you girls done chatting each other up yet?" grumbled Spartan Cyborg. They could all tell he was just itching to use the massively overpowered energy weapon balanced on his shoulder.</p><p>"Dinner is gonna be ready in a half an hour, so we have to take care of this ASAP. Now, it took some serious doing, but we managed to corral that Nujiézú jerk down into the central complex. If we approach this carefully, we can finally frag that bastard for all of the kills he's laced on our butts."</p><p>Spartan Robin snorted skeptically. "Seriously, Cyborg. It's just one guy, did you and Beast Boy <em>have </em>to drag me and Ryouga into your little feud too?"</p><p>Spartan Ryouga shrugged. "Meh, I don't mind."</p><p>Spartan Cyborg stared at the crimson and ebony Spartan disbelievingly.</p><p>"Just <em>one guy</em>? <strong>Just one guy</strong>! Dawg! You have <em>no </em>idea the hell we've seen! I mean, Nujiézú was bad before, but these past two weeks, the guy has been just plain <em>vindictive</em>, I'm talking 'out for blood' nasty!"</p><p>Spartan Beast Boy nodded emphatically. "Dudes, I've lost my head so many times I don't even know why I bother wearing a helmet anymore!"</p><p>Spartans Robin and Ryouga retained their skeptical looks (as much as such was possible when wearing polarized visors which completely hid one's face) but weren't about to back out now.</p><p>"Fine, what's the plan, then?" asked Spartan Robin.</p><p>Spartan Cyborg quickly led them to the entrance of the complex and then began to explain the game plan to them. First, the white and blue warrior pointed to himself and Beast Boy.</p><p>"Okay, the two of us have dealt with this guy tons of times, so we're gonna head in and spread out, you know, try to flush him out into the open. I've got a bubble shield, in case the guy gets the drop on me, and BB's got Spikers, so he should be able to fend the guy off, at least for a bit."</p><p>Next, Spartan Cyborg pointed to Spartan Robin. "Robbie, you got the mad sniping skills, so you go find a good position and set up camp."</p><p>Spartan Robin nodded in agreement.</p><p>"Ryo, since you've never played the game before, you're pretty much our cannon fodder, so try to make your certain death as meaningful as possible."</p><p>"I hate you guys so much."</p><p>"Yeah, that's sweet, now, this is how I see things going dow-"</p><p>To Spartan Beast Boy's ears, the rest of his comrades carefully plotted... plot dissolved into a drone which sounded suspiciously like the speech of an adult from that old Charlie Brown cartoon. What was the point of all this planning and thinking and junk, anyway? Everyone knew that no plan ever survived the first five seconds of the actual battle... and really, Spartan Cyborg <em>seriously </em>should have taken his ridiculously short attention span into account when formulating his increasingly complex battle scenario...</p><p>To heck with this! Spartan Beast Boy was gonna take down Nujiézú himself if he had to! That thought in mind, while his friends were still chatting amongst themselves-</p><p>"Alright, Dudes, times up! Let's do this!"</p><p>Spartan Beast Boy charged once more unto the breach...</p><p>"<strong><em>LEEERRROOOOYY JENNNKIINS!"</em></strong></p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>-Five minutes Later-</p><p>...The four men, who looked very much like boys at the moment, could only stare at the screen, pupils, eye masks and infrared sensors shrunken to pinpricks in shock. Haunted expressions hung on their faces; expressions usually reserved for those poor soldiers who had been made privy to the very darkest horrors of war.</p><p>"..."</p><p>The silence was shattered by the sound of Ryouga's controller slipping from nerveless fingers to clatter to the floor.</p><p>"...Now I know what it would feel like if Gosunkugi challenged Herb to a duel."</p><p>With the eardrum piercing squeal of steel on steel, complete with a shower of burning sparks, Cyborg turned his head to <em>glare </em>at Beast Boy. The emerald changeling returned his friend's gaze with a nervous laugh and a tiny wave of his fingers.</p><p>"Heh... heh... ummm, at least I have tofu?"</p><p>"<strong><em>Beeaast Boooy</em></strong><em>-</em>"</p><p>"Oh, <em>hell </em>no!" The highly unexpected epitaph derailed the cyborg's psychotic episode and drew everyone's attention to Robin...</p><p>Or at least the red faced, simmering kettle with spiky hair that was wearing Robin's outfit, anyway. A second later, the Boy Wonder snapped down and grabbed Ryouga's controller, jamming it back into the larger boy's hand.</p><p>"Play, <em>now</em>."</p><p>"But I really don't-"</p><p>Robin's fiery gaze cut Ryouga off dead.</p><p>"I have <em>never</em> been schooled like that before. Whoever this guy is, he is <em>going down</em>!"</p><p>Cyborg and Beast Boy shared an evil smile between themselves. It looked like Robin's competitive streak had finally kicked in. <em>Now </em>Nujiézú was in for it.</p><p>Unbeknownst to the quartet, a figure floated up stealthily behind the wide, circular couch. A figure possessing, ironically, a very lovely figure, a look of boundless optimism on her face...</p><p>And a pair of slightly crumpled tickets in her hand.</p><p>"<em>Friend Cyborg</em>! Perhaps you would desire to-"</p><p>"Not gonna happen, Star. I don't go to those movies unless I'm gonna get at <em>least </em>a goodnight kiss out of the deal."</p><p>A look of mild consternation flashed across the Tamaranean's face, but she quickly shook it off and turned slightly to the side. Despite the initial setback, she still bore a look of hopeful optimism.</p><p>"Beast Boy-"</p><p>The boy in question held up a hand, not even tearing his gaze from the flashing screen, to stop her.</p><p>"Um, what he said, 'cept you'd need to get a bottle of blonde hair dye and lose about eight inches, first."</p><p>This time, a look of actual annoyance crossed Starfire's normally cheery features.</p><p>"Eight inches from <em>where</em>, my <em>grebnaks</em>?" she muttered darkly under her breath.</p><p>Still, not to be deterred, she turned her attention back to her original target. Now only barely levitating an inch above the ground and tickets slightly more crumpled than when she had begun, Starfire mustered up some guarded optimism...</p><p>"Robin... perhaps if you have the time to enjoy the playing of the video games... then perhaps you also possess the time necessary to accompany me to-"</p><p>Robin, at least, had the decency to turn and acknowledge the determined young woman.</p><p>"Not right now, Starfire. This just got personal... maybe later, okay?"</p><p>Robin then returned all his attention back to the game, totally missing the crestfallen expression that descended over Starfire's face. Very slowly, her toes dragging along the floor, the alien girl floated back towards her room.</p><p>As she left, Ryouga looked to the two guys on his right, then to the one guy on his left, a confused look on his face...</p><p>"What the heck was that all about?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Jinx leaned back, taking another deep breath, her chest heaving from her exertions. She relished the sweet sensation of the chill breeze caressing her sweat drenched skin. She could scarcely remember the last time that she had exerted herself in such a... pleasurable manner, but she had been past due for spoiling herself. Beneath her, the heavy, pounding beat of the techno music saturated her body and she swayed fluidly with the rhythm.</p><p>"That was the most awesome rave I have <em>ever </em>been to," she remarked dreamily.</p><p>Absently, she turned her attention to her partner in crime. The ancient master was perched beside her on the roof. Happosai stared off into nothing, his pupils dilated so far that his entire eyes looked to be made from glistening onyx...</p><p>"I... am a changed man..." he declared euphorically.</p><p>The witch's eyes narrowed slightly as she regarded her <em>revered master</em>.</p><p>"Oh, and FYI, that's the last time I ever let you take E. You were <em>way </em>more handsy than any of those other... pill... heads..." she trailed off, suddenly coming to a basic realization.</p><p>"You didn't <em>take </em>any E, <em>did </em>you, Happi?"</p><p>Happosai looked up at her in confusion. "I don't even have a clue what you're talking about, Jinx. Are you saying there was some kind of connection between this magical <em>E </em>that you're talking about and all of those lovely young ladies downstairs being so... <em>handsy </em>as you put it?"</p><p>"Well, <em>doy</em>!" Jinx held up a tiny plastic bag filled with tinier pills and waved it around teasingly. "You think all of those <em>fine </em>ladies down there would have been all over you like that if it weren't for a little... chemical persuasion? They probably thought you were a teddy bear, or a leprechaun, or something."</p><p>Happi's eyes nearly doubled in size as he stared at the slowly swaying baggie dangling from her fingertips. The effect it seemed to have on him bordered on hypnotic...</p><p>"W-w-where did you get those from?"</p><p>Jinx rolled her cat like eyes in exasperation.</p><p>"Some loser was trying to get me to take them, probably hoping to cop a feel or some crap... so I took them. Seriously, I'm loopy enough upstairs without adding crazy stuff like this," she admitted, tilting her head to indicate the empty space where a tiny bag of pills had been dangling-</p><p>"Huh - Wha?"</p><p>She glowered at the diminutive pervert.</p><p>"Hapiiii, where did those pills go?" she asked, already knowing the answer.</p><p>He offered her his most innocent look in return, with a tiny shrug of helplessness to go with it.</p><p>"<em>Haappii</em>... aw, screw it. You know, any chick dumb enough to take unmarked pills from a one-foot tall dodecagenarian obviously isn't contributing anything but double D's to the gene pool anyway, so it's no big loss."</p><p>Her mentor smiled proudly.</p><p>"That's the spirit, Disciple! Concern for strangers is overrated."</p><p>Jinx considered that... considered it some more, then shrugged and nodded in agreement.</p><p>"Soooo, you wanna go back in?"</p><p>"<em>Oh, <strong>Hellz</strong> yeah</em>!"</p><p>Jinx let out a groan of disgust.</p><p>"<em>Happi</em>," she sing-songed in a sugary voice, "Could you please remind me to kill Bumble Bee the next time we see her... <em>painfully</em>?"</p><p>"Jinx, you keep taking me to these raves, and I'll do it for you!"</p><p>"Heh, heh, heh... nice."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Starfire gazed up at the lighted signage which hung above her head. The glowing display named each of the movies currently playing within the cinema before which she stood (unable to muster even the enthusiasm to float any longer), as well as the times at which each movie commenced. She then looked down forlornly to the pair of sad looking tickets that were wilting in her tightly curled hand.</p><p>It had been five days since their fortuitous relocation of Ryouga, and she had believed that things would have returned to a state of relative normalcy within her home. Instead, all her friends seemed to have become even more preoccupied with activities and people which seemed to preclude the inclusion of a certain Tamaranean.</p><p>Beast Boy and Cyborg had become obsessed with the 'fragging' of their virtual nemesis. Raven spoke often, and at great length, with Ranma, not to mention that her preferences in reading and viewing material differed enough from Starfire's that finding common ground was becoming increasingly difficult as of late.</p><p>And, of course, <em>Robin </em>and <em>Kasumi</em> had become infatuated with the idea of physically accosting each other for extended periods of time as well... The worst part was that she was finding it almost impossible to blame her feelings of insecurity and envy on the Tendo woman. Even as Robin's presence had become more and more sparse lately, Kasumi had somehow found more and more time to spend with Starfire. As much as she <em>wanted </em>to dislike Kasumi for what had been occurring, the disturbing fact was that she enjoyed the older woman's company... in fact, Kasumi had been the one to suggest that she invite Robin to the cinema in the first place.</p><p>The Tamaranean could almost hear the wails of agony from the poor, unfortunate tickets in her grasp. It was all she could do to keep them from bursting into flames... or drowning in her tears. After all, if it were not Kasumi's fault that Robin was avoiding her lately... that meant it could only be her own.</p><p>Starfire disliked the 'being alone', she disliked the 'being alone in the crowd' even worse. She was starting to acquire the sneaking suspicion that everyone on this entire planetary body was enjoying the social interactions with one another, except for herself... The steady influx and output of happy couples and loving families from the edifice of the theater only drove that depressing thought home with unnecessary brutality.</p><p>She let out a weak sniff... But then a strange thought flitted across her morose mindscape.</p><p>There was <em>one </em>other person whom she had not yet sought out for companionship. True, it was because, of all her friends, he was possessing of the most valid reason for spending his time in solitude, but she was certain that he would not be averse to a visit from her.</p><p>How odd, why had she not thought of that earlier?</p><p>Still... a female did have to remain true to her principles. She looked back to the tickets in her hand. It was too late for her to view the film on that night and tomorrow was the last night she would be able to exchange this pair of tickets before the movie ceased to be shown in this particular theater. So, she would give Robin one last chance to see the error of his was, and if not...</p><p>One way or the other, she <em>was </em>going to see that movie.</p><p>Oh, yes. Tomorrow would be a <em>joyous </em>day for <em>everyone</em>!</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Beast Boy squinted his eyes painfully as the first detestable rays of the rising sun lanced in through the windows in a vindictive attempt to blind him. Unfortunately, he couldn't spare a hand to shield his sensitive, reddened eyes, on account that both appendages were clamped onto his Game Station controller in a manner that had him a little worried that Rigor Mortis might have begun setting in on his extremities. So, instead, he just leaned to the side until the hated sun was strategically hidden behind the massive television screen.</p><p>That accomplished, he resumed his near zombie state of concentration, zoning out anything and everything that didn't involve massive CGI explosions, or anonymous players half a world away shouting out 'Tea Bag!' over his ear mic.</p><p>As such, he barely even registered the sound of one of the side doors sliding open. And even if he hadn't been so spaced out, he probably wouldn't have heard the graceful, whispered steps of the newest occupant gliding into the room.</p><p>The exasperated sigh from behind him grabbed his attention, though.</p><p>"<em>Garfield Logan</em>. Please tell me that you haven't been up <em>all </em>night playing that video game."</p><p>Beast Boy didn't even cringe at the use of his real name. It just didn't faze him when Kasumi, or even Kunou, used it. Maybe because they didn't realize the comic implications of his name in the western world, or just because they didn't choose to tease him about it, it was still nice.</p><p>The changeling then remembered that she had asked him a question. He quickly turned around, throwing his arm up to rest on the back of the couch, to face her. He matched her expectant gaze and wracked his brain for a suitable response. Well, he guessed he would have to go with the direct approach, it was way too early... late... whatever, to think so hard.</p><p>"Aww, I could never lie to you, Kasumi."</p><p>He then flipped back around and returned his attention back to the flashing screen. An amused giggle from his lovely companion quirked the corner of his lip up into a smile; the fact that he'd made Kasumi giggle so early in the morning almost made up for the fact that his character had died a gruesome death while his back had been turned.</p><p>Well, that stank on ice. Deciding he needed a short break, at least long enough for him to load another map, he turned back to face the small kitchenette at the back of the massive main room. The Tendo woman was already rooting through the cupboards in search of God knew what.</p><p>"You're up pretty early, aren't you, Kasumi? I mean, we don't usually have breakfast till 'round ten-ish on account of our whacked schedules."</p><p>Kasumi turned and offered him a smile very nearly as sunny as the sun at his back.</p><p>"Very true. However, Victor taught me the most delightful chili recipe and I was hoping to try it out. Apparently, it will take several hours to prepare, and if I want it ready for lunch, I need to start it early."</p><p><em>'Wow</em>.' That was super nice of her, going to all this trouble just to make them a nice meal. Of course, it was about then that he realized a very dire implication of her statement.</p><p>"Ummm, Kasumi?"</p><p>"Don't worry, Garfield, I'll fix you up something closer to lunch time. I already know quite a few tofu recipes, so I'm sure I can make something you'll like."</p><p>He smiled a broad, fanged smile. "Ha! I <em>know </em>you will. I bet you could cook an old boot and it'd taste awesome!"</p><p>Another airy giggle caused Beast Boy to preen in the young woman's presence. To be honest, he hadn't really had many opportunities to spend any time alone with Kasumi, since Robin and Cyborg both did their best to co-opt all her spare time at every opportunity.</p><p>"So, how's your trainin' going, anyway?" he asked with genuine interest.</p><p>Kasumi paused in her gathering of equipment and ingredients and rose from kneeling before the cupboards. The pony-tailed brunette then looked at the various foodstuffs she had gathered, then back in his direction. Her smile widening just a little bit, she gave a tiny shrug and strolled over to join him. He swallowed a little nervously as the stunning lady sat primly on the back of the couch, only a few inches from where his arm was resting. She then graced him with a happy smile.</p><p>"That's sweet of you to ask. Which training were you wondering about, my medical training, or my martial training?"</p><p>He scratched his head at the question for a moment. He'd nearly forgotten that she was getting lessons from Cyborg too, since Robin had been making such a big production of his <em>combat training </em>lately.</p><p>"Hmm, how's your stuff going with Cy? We don't really hear anything about that, since Robin is always bragging about what a great teacher he is," he inquired teasingly.</p><p>Kasumi tapped a graceful finger against her chin in thought. "Now that you mention it, Robin's training <em>has </em>been taking up more and more of my time lately. Unfortunately, it hasn't given me nearly as much time as I would like to spend with Victor. Robin insists that the simply <em>excruciating </em>schedule he set for us shouldn't last for much longer, but I would dearly like to devote more of my time to my medical studies."</p><p>Beast Boy nodding agreeably.</p><p>"Heh, I bet. I mean, I don't even know why he's teaching you to fight in the first place. I mean, you're so nice I doubt there's a person on the planet that'd want to hurt you."</p><p>The young woman rolled her eyes in fond amusement. "Now you're just being silly. After all of that nasty business with the Headmaster, I can understand perfectly well why Robin would be so worried. I just wish he wouldn't be so... consumed by it."</p><p>Beast Boy chuckled weakly. "Heh, well, that's Robin for you. That guy gets obsessed at the drop of a hat. You're just lucky you weren't here when <em>Slade </em>was still around. I mean, sheesh, some of the stuff Robbie pulled even had <em>Starfire </em>upset with him."</p><p>Kasumi covered the tiny, shocked 'o' that her mouth had become with her fingers. "Oh my! That's terrible. I certainly hope he doesn't do something like that again on my account. Those two would make such an adorable couple."</p><p>He waved his hand in dismissal of her worries. "Meh, don't worry about those two. They're pretty much guaranteed to end up together. I mean, she's always forgiven him before, and it's not like there's anyone else that Star gets all moon-eyed over."</p><p>Hand still covering her mouth, Kasumi tittered lightly. "Well, then if you believe it, then I don't have anything to worry abo-"</p><p>The familiar sound of the elevator door sliding open interrupted their conversation and heralded the arrival of another early morning enthusiast. Except the person that arrived was even less of a morning person that Beast Boy himself was.</p><p>Raven floated into the room, making her way unerringly for the kitchenette counter and the teakettle that rested there. Something seemed slightly off about the young woman to the emerald changeling. Asides from the super early morning thing, there seemed to be an unusual look on Raven's face, a tightness around her eyes and a paleness of her cheeks that struck him as even tighter and more pale than usual.</p><p>The violet haired Titan spent several moments filling the kettle from the sink and setting the water to boiling. Then, with a start, she looked up, as if just realizing that she wasn't alone. Raven's gaze swung over to take in the sight of Kasumi and Beast Boy sitting rather close together on the couch, and to Beast Boy's tired eyes, he could have sworn there was a vaguely haunted look in those bottomless violet orbs.</p><p>Beast Boy looked up to the woman sitting by his side to see if Kasumi had noticed anything odd. Only to see something equally odd when he did. Kasumi was staring right back at Raven, only the sunny smile she had been wearing for him was gone, replaced by a very strained looking smile indeed. The two women maintained the staring contest for a moment that seemed to drag on about a dozen moments too long for Beast Boy's taste.</p><p>Raven broke eye contact first, giving out a weary sigh and returning her attention back to her warming water.</p><p>"Do either of you know if Ryouga is back from Terra's cave yet? I was hoping to speak with him this morning." There was an odd tone in her voice that Beast Boy couldn't place for the life of him.</p><p>He was about to reply, when Kasumi cut him off, her smile widening slightly.</p><p>"Good morning to you too, Raven. I'm afraid I haven't seen him since dinner yesterday. It wouldn't surprise me if he spent the entire night with Terra <em>again</em>. You know how stubborn that boy can be when he has his mind set on something... don't you, Raven?"</p><p>Beast Boy felt his jaw working up and down slowly, unable to produce a sound. Everything <em>seemed</em> to be perfectly normal in the room around him, but his instincts were screaming at him that a battle was being waged beyond his ability to comprehend, and that where he was sitting was <em>not </em>a good place to be. His urge to flee for no discernible reason at all was so strong, that it almost made him forget what he was about to say.</p><p>"Um, actually Kasumi, Ry-"</p><p>Something odd happened then, just as he was about to make his dramatic revelation. Kasumi turned back to face him... and she <em>shrugged</em>. It wasn't just a normal, shrug, either it was a shrug which lifted her shoulders and brought them an inch or two closer together. This innocuous act produced several <em>secondary reactions</em> which proved absolutely devastating on Beast Boy's cognitive functions, including his ability to speak.</p><p>"Garfield, would you be a <em>dear</em> and find me the T-Slow Cooker? Victor didn't tell me where he stored it."</p><p>Apparently, his susceptibility to suggestion had been seriously affected as well, as he dumbly nodded and stumbled his way to the kitchen area.</p><p>Raven observed the exchange, totally ignorant to what had just occurred, and watched him begin to root through the cupboards in his furtive search.</p><p>"Well?" she asked, slightly annoyed.</p><p>Beast Boy didn't even register her interrogative and just kept on looking for the elusive cooking device. It wouldn't even have helped if Cyborg alphabetized the kitchen, either, since he named all stupid inventions the 'T-this' or the 'T-that'.</p><p>Behind him, Raven stared at him expectantly for another moment, before shooting a dark look Kasumi's way. The Tendo woman just smiled all the wider for it, her smile no longer bearing the strained look it had. Finally, Raven let out a long, weary sigh.</p><p>"Forget it, I'm going to talk to Ranma."</p><p>Kasumi nodded, still smiling that odd little smile of hers.</p><p>"I'm certain that he'll be quite happy to hear from you. Please tell him that I said hello, and to say hello to Akane for me."</p><p>Raven locked stares with Kasumi for another long moment, but again was the first to relent. It was hard for her to stare into the serene, perpetually smiling face of the Tendo woman for any length of time without feeling the desire to get sick all over the kitchen counter.</p><p>"Of course, Kasumi... and, have a good morning."</p><p>Quickly filling her teacup with the lukewarm water, Raven retreated to the elevator and made her escape.</p><p>Approximately seven seconds later, Beast Boy leapt up, holding his prey above his head in triumph. The gleaming silver T-Slow Cooker shone brightly in the morning sun and he displayed his quarry for all to see...</p><p>"Wait a minute," he mused in confusion, "Wasn't Raven just here?"</p><p><em>'Whoa'</em>, that was odd; it sure felt like he'd just missed something. He could have sworn that Raven had been standing right on the other side of the kitchenettes' island counter.</p><p>"Oh, she had to run. She said she was going to speak with Ranma, again. Thank you for your help, by the way," Kasumi replied sweetly.</p><p>He smiled happily and waved off her compliment. "Ah, t'weren't nothing. But I should go tell Raven that Ryo is in his room. Heck, I should know, I brought him in last night."</p><p>Kasumi finally rose from her perch on the couch to join him in the kitchen. She deftly plucked the T-Slow Cooker from his hands and placed it carefully on the counter beside the other things she had gathered already.</p><p>"Is that so?" she asked in a perky tone, "Now don't I feel silly for making such a rash assumption. Still, I'm certain that if she <em>really </em>wanted to speak with Ryouga, she would have just used her communicator to find out where he was."</p><p>Well, he could hardly fault her logic on that point. Still, he couldn't help but get a strange feeling that there was something odd going on between Raven and Kasumi. He couldn't put his finger on it, since Kasumi acted just as sweetly as always around Raven and Raven acted just as sour as always around Kasumi... but there was just something - Aw heck he just had no idea.</p><p>"So, you want any more help? I'm always good for an extra pair of hands, or two - or four," he offered proudly, transforming into an emerald octopus to prove his point.</p><p>Kasumi giggled as he changed back.</p><p>"My, I've cooked with Octopi before, but never like <em>that</em>." She smiled an impish smile as he paled slightly at her insinuation. "I appreciate the offer, but you go on back to your videogame and have fun, I'm sure I can handle this on my own."</p><p>He shrugged and nodded agreeably. Heck, he wasn't even sure why he offered to help her cook <em>meat </em>in the first place. What had he been thinking? As quickly as possible, the emerald changeling made his way back to the couch and picked up his forgotten controller. Soon enough, he had another map picked out and his pixilated warrior was marching through the desert wastes in search of things to frag.</p><p>Still, something was nagging at the back of his mind, keeping him from focusing on the game.</p><p>"<em>Soooo," </em>he drawled over his shoulder, "What do you think of Raven and Ryouga, eh?"</p><p>The sounds of an unidentified vegetable being diced by a razor-sharp blade rang out in rapid succession behind him for several seconds before he received an answer.</p><p>"I think they would make a... cute couple." The answer <em>sounded </em>sincere, and Kasumi certainly wouldn't lie to him. "However, it takes more than that to make a relationship work."</p><p>He'd had this conversation a few times with Cyborg, since his buddy seemed to be of the same mind as Kasumi on the subject, though he never really explained his <em>reason </em>for thinking so. Beast Boy paused his game this time and spun around to face the Tendo woman as she continued to prepare the day's lunch.</p><p>"What makes you say that? They both seem to like each other a lot, not to mention they're two of the gloomiest people I know, so they got a lot in common, to boot."</p><p>With great care, Kasumi laid the gleaming knife on the counter and turned to face him. A weak smile still adorned her lips, but it didn't quite seem to reach her eyes.</p><p>"Garfield, sometimes having things in common is a good thing, but not necessarily all of the time. Sometimes it is the differences between two people that draw them closer together."</p><p>He scratched his head at that, not quite sure what she meant.</p><p>"Sooo, you're saying that Raven and Ryouga being alike is a bad thing?"</p><p>Kasumi let out a weary sigh.</p><p>"No, nothing like that. I believe their common traits would let them be good friends, but I'm not sure that they could make each other truly happy in...<em> that </em>way."</p><p>'Ahhhh...' He raised an inquisitive finger...</p><p>"Ahhhh... you lost me."</p><p>The brunette stared at him for a moment, incomprehension in her eyes. Again, Kasumi abandoned her culinary efforts and joined him on the couch. This time she walked around the piece of furniture to sit directly beside him and took one his hands in her own.</p><p>"Garfield, don't feel bad for being confused. I'm doing a very poor job of explaining things. I don't exactly have a lot of experience myself. However, let me try to explain it a different way."</p><p>He nodded dumbly, doing everything in his power to stop himself from blushing at the sensation of her hands on his. Again, the lovely Tendo woman regained her genuine, caring smile, tilting her head to the side slightly. She seemed to think about something for several moments, before finally beginning to speak.</p><p>"Now, Garfield, imagine there are two people that really love pie-"</p><p>"<em>Done</em>!" Hey, this was an explanation that he could really relate to.</p><p>Kasumi shook her head in amusement before continuing.</p><p>"Now, if these two people go to a restaurant and order pie together, they would both enjoy the pie equally, enjoying what they had in common; that would make them both very happy, right?"</p><p>He nodded frantically. Been there, done that.</p><p>"Now, say there are two people that really hate pie-"</p><p>"That's <em>impossible</em>!"</p><p>This time she glared at him mildly, prompting him, politely, to shut his trap.</p><p>"Now, let's say that these two people went to that same restaurant and ordered dinner and got pie for dessert. They would both refuse to eat the pie and be equally unhappy with receiving the pie. Tell me, would the fact that they have a dislike for pie, together, make them happy at all?"</p><p>He thought about that, long and hard, and the answer was blatantly obvious.</p><p>"No, probably not. They'd probably both be complaining about the pie so much, that they wouldn't be able to enjoy anything else... whoa..."</p><p>Kasumi giggled lightly. "I hope my example wasn't too silly, but I think you're starting to understand what I mean. Having something nice in common can be a very good thing but having something negative in common might not be. Sometimes we need people that are different from us, if only so they can help balance us out. After all, if someone that hates pie goes for dinner with someone that likes pie and that happened, what do you think would be the result?"</p><p>The changeling let out a bark of excited laughter. "Ha! That's an easy one! The person that hates pie would give it to the person that likes pie. That way they'd both get something they wanted, one of them would get more pie, and one of them would probably get a peck on the cheek for being so nice."</p><p>At that moment, Beast Boy completely and utterly lost his battle against blushing as Kasumi leaned in and gave him a playful peck on the cheek. Before he even had the chance to regain any semblance of normalcy, the        Tendo woman rose to her feet and started to make her way back to the kitchen, lighthearted giggles trailing behind her.</p><p>"I don't think I could have put it better myself. Now, I hope you understand my thoughts, if only a bit, and know that it most certainly isn't anything personal."</p><p>Beast Boy nodded enthusiastically and gave her a quick thumbs up. "Sure thing, Kasumi. Now all we gotta do is figure out if Ryouga hates pie or not, so we can figure out who he likes!"</p><p>Kasumi's world-weary sigh was cut off by the whisk of the elevator door sliding open yet again. The rectangular sheets of metal slid apart to reveal the unusually cheerful face of Ryouga Hibiki, who then proceeded to stride into the room with an unusual spring in his step. A little on edge by the fact that there were now <em>two </em>people acting slightly odd this morning, Beast Boy asked the first question that came to mind.</p><p>"Hey, Ryo! Do you hate pie?"</p><p>Ryouga stopped in mid-springy step to stare at him. A look of utter confusion flashed across the <em>other </em>fanged boy's face, only to be replaced by a look of sheer disbelief.</p><p>"What? How could <em>anyone </em>possibly hate pie, Beast Boy?"</p><p>Kasumi's hand rose, as if she were about to say something, but then the young woman simply shook her head in helpless amusement and returned to her work.</p><p>"Good morning, Ryouga. You seem to be in a good mood today."</p><p>Hibiki continued to stare at Beast Boy strangely for another moment, before shaking his head several times and turning his attention to the Tendo woman.</p><p>"Good morning to you, too, Kasumi. And yeah, I guess I am in a good mood. Speaking of which, do you guys know if Raven is up yet? I was hoping I could talk to her this morning; that and it's her turn to take me down to Terra's cave."</p><p>Well, that sounded fine by Beast Boy, anything that involved getting Terra back to normal was always a positive in his book. He was about to offer to take the Lost Boy to the Goth girl's room, when Kasumi stepped back into the conversation.</p><p>"Are you certain about that, Ryouga? I can take you down now if you like. I've noticed you've been... well, hesitant to speak to Raven lately."</p><p>Ryouga blushed in embarrassment at her rather accurate assessment of his actions over the past week. Even Beast Boy had noticed the cold shoulders and colder stares that had been passing between the two darker Titans, though it was mostly a one-way chill factor.</p><p>Kicking his toe into the floor nervously, Ryouga began to run his hand through the hair at the back of his head. "Umm, yeah, well, that was kind of what I wanted to talk to her about. You see, now that I've had some time to think about it, I realized that I – I may have been acting really unfair towards her lately and I wanted to... to apologize..."</p><p>Kasumi tilted her head in curiosity. "Whatever do you mean?"</p><p>"Well, I was a little annoyed with her for a comment she made, but now that I've cooled off, I'm pretty sure she didn't mean what I thought she meant by it, so the way I've been acting lately may have been a little... jerkish, I guess."</p><p>Kasumi nodded, smiling sweetly. "That's very mature of you, Ryouga. Why don't I take you up to her room right now? I'm sure she won't mind the interruption as long as it's you."</p><p>Ryouga looked at her oddly. "Interruption? What are you talking about?"</p><p>Beast Boy was kind of wondering that as well.</p><p>The Tendo woman innocently tapped a long finger to her chin in deep contemplation. "Well, Raven told us that she was going to speak with Ranma this morning, in fact, she's probably speaking with him right this minute. We all know how much she dislikes being interrupted when she's conversing with him, but I'm certain she'll make an exception for you."</p><p>Beast Boy vaguely recalled something along those lines being said... though it was all a little fuzzy for some reason. However, as helpful, and innocent as Kasumi's explanation was, Ryouga didn't seem to take it that way at all. Right before the changeling's eyes, the cheery, light expression that had been alighting on the Lost Boy's face was slowly crushed beneath a dark weight which seemed to drag the guy's entire body down towards the earth.</p><p>"She's speaking to <em>Ranma</em>, again?" His words held a rather sharp bite to them which Beast Boy wasn't sure he liked.</p><p>Completely oblivious to the effects her words were having, Kasumi nodded, smiling happily, even as she continued to prepare Cyborg's chili. "Oh my, yes. Those two must have so much to talk about, the way they're always chatting back and forth. Isn't it nice to know that Raven and Ranma are such close friends now?"</p><p>Ryouga smiled a mildly terrifying smile that didn't come within a million miles of reaching his eyes.</p><p>"Yes... <em>nice</em>..."</p><p>Still smiling as cutely as could be, Kasumi quickly grabbed a nearby cloth and wiped off her hands.</p><p>"Well, let me take you up to her room. I'm certain she'll be <em>just </em>as happy to speak to you as she is to speak to Ranma."</p><p>Just as Kasumi was about to remove her apron, Ryouga quickly leaned over the counter and placed his hand on hers to stop her.</p><p>"No, that's fine, Kasumi, I wouldn't want to <em>interrupt </em>her and Ranma. I'll just go find Cyborg; the T-Car will get me there faster than walking, and the sooner I start, <em>the better</em>."</p><p>Beast Boy agreed with the statement, though the way it was said left him feeling a rime of ice crusting his soul. Unfortunately, the potent combination of shock and sleep deprivation left him sitting in confusion long enough for Ryouga to make his way back into the elevator before he could think to offer to fly the Lost Boy to Terra's cave himself. The changeling almost considered going after Hibiki, if only to see if he was alright, but wasn't sure how close he'd get to the elevator before he dropped. Instead, he turned his attention to the humming Tendo woman.</p><p>"Ummm, Kasumi? Are you sure Ryouga is gonna be okay? I mean, you didn't tell him anything he didn't already know... but, he sure switched gears from loving pie to hating it pretty quick."</p><p>Kasumi turned her gaze his ways, her eyes rolling in amusement.</p><p>"Oh, Garfield. That's just how Ryouga is. I'm sure he'll be over it before he even reaches Terra's cave."</p><p>Beast Boy looked at her oddly. Was this the same Ryouga that declared a bread feud and hounded Saotome across China for revenge that she was talking about? Still, she had known the guy for way longer than him, so who was he to question her? Something about the entire morning was rubbing him the wrong way so far, but it still wasn't anything that he could put his sleep addled finger on, so he just shuffled it to the back of his mind for re-analysis when he wasn't only half conscious from playing video games all night.</p><p>That in mind, he resolved to rectify the situation in the only way he could, by turning his attention back to said video game he'd been playing all night and picking up where he left off. Within minutes, he regained his trance like state of concentration, with the new addition of Kasumi's soothing humming blending quietly into the background as he played.</p><p>The pleasant circumstances lasted for a good hour or two.</p><p>As was inevitable, though, the relative peace was destined to be broken. The next opening of the elevator door shocked Beast Boy out of a state of obliviousness so deep, that the changeling hadn't even realized that Kasumi had finished whatever she was doing in the kitchen (the details were fuzzy on that) and the demure woman was sitting beside him on the couch, engrossed in a textbook and still humming that same soothing tune.</p><p>As one, the two couch surfers turned to greet their next morning companion.</p><p>"Good morning, Robin."</p><p>"Howzits goins, <em>duuude</em>...?"</p><p><em>'Wow'</em>, Kasumi's greeting hadn't sounded very coherent to Beast Boy at all. Maybe she was feeling sleepy?</p><p>Robin took a moment to survey the situation, taking in the simmering crock pot of something that Beast Boy felt he really should have recognized, Kasumi's smiling face and finally, Beast Boy's rather dubious state. The masked hero shook his head sadly.</p><p>"Morning, Kasumi." The Boy Wonder then turned to glare his way. "Beast Boy, tell me you didn't stay up all night playing that game, again."</p><p>Beast Boy considered his options quickly - then, smiling widely-</p><p>"<em>Okies</em>!"</p><p>-he turned his back on the masked Titan and went back to the playing of said video games.</p><p>Robin let out a helpless groan of disgust, but really, what could he do? So, instead, Robin turned his attention back to the only female present.</p><p>"The chili smells really good, Kasumi. How's it coming along?"</p><p>Kasumi gently rested her book on her lap and turned a little more fully to face the young man.</p><p>"It's coming along quite well, I believe. It needs to simmer for several hours, though, so I've been spending some quality time with Garfield."</p><p>Beast Boy peered at her curiously.</p><p>"You <em>have</em>?"</p><p>Her lip quirked up into an amused smirk.</p><p>"I <em>haven't</em>?"</p><p>"Ah, touché."</p><p>"Why thank you."</p><p>Robin rolled his eyes at their barely sensible repartee.</p><p>"Well, if it's still got a few hours, why don't we get some training in before it's ready, then?"</p><p>Beast Boy waved him off in annoyance.</p><p>"Dude, seriously, are you joking? I doubt I'd make it off the couch in one piece at this point."</p><p>Beside him, Kasumi giggled conspiratorially, while Robin shot him an eerie, pupil-less glare.</p><p>"I wasn't talking to <em>you</em>, Beast Boy. I was asking Kasumi."</p><p>The changeling offered the woman beside him an apologetic shrug; he'd tried, at least. Kasumi replied with a thankful smile, then looked to Robin, then down to the book in her lap, then finally back to Beast Boy again. In a private little gesture, for him and him alone, the lovely brunette rolled her eyes and let out a tiny sigh. She then donned a wide smile and turned back to Robin.</p><p>"Of course, Robin, that sounds like a wonderful idea."</p><p>Kasumi then rose to her feet and carefully placed her book on the couch, right beside Beast Boy, as if making a silent promise that she would be back, hopefully sooner than later.</p><p>"Can you keep an eye on lunch for me, Garfield? You shouldn't need to do anything, but just in case, okay?"</p><p>He nodded agreeably.</p><p>"Sure thing, Kasumi. You two crazy kids go on and have fun."</p><p>This time, the rolling of her eyes was all for him. Then, in the next moment of his half oblivious state of mind, the dynamic duo vanished from the room in a blur of motion.</p><p>Once again, the serenity that could only be provided by the dispensation of High-Definition Doom unto unsuspecting strangers ruled his roost. He had no idea how long this stretch lasted, as his ability to quantify the passage of linear time had been lost... yestermorroyear?</p><p>This time, it took a hand on his shoulder to break him free from his unholy love affair with the Game Station. Luckily, he maintained at least the motor functions necessary to turn his head.</p><p>The sight of Cyborg recoiling at the sight of him was pretty darn funny, prompting the emerald changeling to start giggling in a slightly unhinged manner.</p><p>"Holy <em>Jeez</em>, BB, <em>go to bed</em>!"</p><p>Beast Boy shook his head from side to side in a bout of drunken stubbornness. "Ah, common, Styborga, just Repnak-Ba'an more minutes..."</p><p>His best friend stared at him in confusion for approximately three nanoseconds... or was it five Baker's minutes? Man, a bakery would be sweet right about now.</p><p>"Okay, man, you are officially beyond help. Before you totally crash out, though, can ya tell me if ya know where Kasumi is? I'm supposed to be schoolin her medical wise today."</p><p>Beast Boy racked his brain for a short eternity.</p><p>"Aha! Robin took Kasumi to Jim's for train sets!"</p><p>It took Cyborg thirteen and a half moments to sort through the shape shifter's helpful explanation, but when he finally did, the titanium Titan snapped his fingers in annoyance.</p><p>"<em>Dang it</em>! He did it <em>again!</em> Does Robin have even a clue how much he's crampin my style lately? I mean, geez, if the guy is so desperate for a lady to throw down on the mats for some advanced grappling, why doesn't he just go grab Star?"</p><p>Beast Boy offered his buddy a sympathetic word.</p><p>"Whuu?"</p><p>Or at least he tried.</p><p>Cyborg groaned loudly. "Man, this is so unfair. Just cuz he's the boss means he gets to say who does what? Well, might as well hit the lab then, since there ain't anything <em>else </em>to do."</p><p>The changeling nodded his support.</p><p>"Bhuu."</p><p>"And, dude, seriously, <em>go to bed</em>. I don't want you droolin all over my couch <em>again</em>."</p><p>And then, before Beast Boy even had the time to formulate a suitable reply, his friend vanished into the mists of time... or he took the stairs, one of those two things for sure.</p><p>Alone again, in the (relative) silence of the cavernous main room, the changeling had to admit, even in his current state, that he missed Kasumi's quiet humming. Even though it had hardly even been audible over the sounds of the Game Station, it had still sounded so nice and warm and fuzzy... it almost reminded him of someone... from... some time...</p><p>He didn't have time to lose track of the world this time, though, since almost immediately after one door closed with Cyborg's exit, another door opened with Starfire's entrance.</p><p>Sheesh, what was this: Revolving Door Day?</p><p>"I bid you morning greetings, friend Beast Boy."</p><p>"Mornin', Star," he replied a little more coherently than he had for Cyborg.</p><p>With graceful ease, the Tamaranean female floated around the couch until she was <em>almost </em>blocking his view of the television. Even his sleep addled mind could make out the stubbornly optimistic expression on her face... and the weathered pair of tickets clutched in her hand. He stared at both Starfire and the tickets warily.</p><p>"What up, Star?" he asked as casually as possible.</p><p>Starfire took in a deep breath, apparently steeling herself for what she was about to ask. Internally, Beast Boy began to quail helplessly-</p><p>"Do you know where Robin is? I have already checked his room, but he was not present, and I wish to ask him to accompany me to the cinema of movies so that we may enjoy the comedic misunderstandings of the Hugh Grant in his furtive attempts to find romance while consuming heavily buttered popcorn and sitting near one another..." Finally, Starfire's lungs gave out on her, leaving the girl gasping for breath after her verbal landslide.</p><p>Beast Boy did his best to sort through the spiel, which probably would have been trying at the best of times, but finally managed to pull out the pertinent information he needed.</p><p>"Oh, <em>thank God</em>!" He let out an explosive sigh of relief. He'd thought she was asking <em>him </em>again.</p><p>The sight of Starfire's eyes narrowing (and glowing) quickly reminded him that she was still standing directly before him. The sudden threat of physical bodily harm sent a pleasant surge of adrenaline through his system and helped to clear his mind slightly.</p><p>"Ahh, what I meant to say, was that he's down in the Gym with Kasumi. I think someone said they were practicing advanced grappling-" He giggled in a somewhat disturbing manner as he thought that one over- "Heh, <em>I </em>wouldn't mind teaching Kasumi some advanced grappling, if you know what I mean."</p><p>Starfire quirked an eyebrow as she looked at him strangely.</p><p>"I do not. Your lack of knowledge and experience with advanced grappling forms would make it impossible for you to teach Kasumi in any meaningful way."</p><p>"Ouch, Star... just ouch."</p><p>The alien girl sent him another look, this one apparently questioning his fleeting sanity. A moment later, she shook off the absurdity of his antics and a slightly glum expression came to settle on her normally care-free features.</p><p>"So, Robin and Kasumi are doing the training... again?"</p><p>Beast Boy shrugged in helpless agreement.</p><p>"<em>Tell me about it</em>! I'm ticked cuz Kasumi's humming was really nice, Cy's ticked cuz they had a lesson today, and <em>I'm </em>ticked, cuz Kasumi's humming was really nice!"</p><p>"Umm, Beast Boy, you already stated-"</p><p>"And what's he even bothering for?" he asked, arms flailing, "Kasumi's, like, the nicest person on the planet, even nicer than you, Star, so who's gonna wanna hurt her?"</p><p>Beast Boy's ranting did not have the desired effect.</p><p>"She is... nicer, than me?"</p><p><em>'Back peddle, back peddle now, damnit</em>!'</p><p>"<em>No</em>! That's not what I meant! I mean, it's just that she's so pretty, y'know? Who'd wanna bruise up that face?"</p><p>'<em>Crap</em>!' He realized his mistake before Starfire even said a word.</p><p>"She is... <em>prettier </em>than me?"</p><p>"Argh! No! Of course not, Star! It's just that - that-"</p><p>That what? Taller? More Human? A better cook?</p><p>No! No! <em>No!</em></p><p>"She's just got more – more-" He clutched the air in front of his chest in a very visual manner. "<em>Experience</em>! Yeah, that's it!"</p><p>Except, the look on his companion's face, rather than brighten up with cheer, descended straight from merely melancholy all the way to crestfallen.</p><p>"She is more mature than me, that is it, is it not?"</p><p>"Yes! <em>Wait – no</em>! It's just- she's just... Awww, <em>Star</em>, come back!"</p><p>His plaintiff wail fell on deaf ears, as the flame haired young woman floated morosely out of one of the side doors. He considered chasing after her; however, considering his track record, even when he was at top form, the odds of him making the situation better were pretty much nil.</p><p>The emerald changeling turned back to the Game station and glared at the controller in his hand.</p><p>"This is all <em>your </em>fault," he muttered darkly to the traitorous machine.</p><p>Well, he was sure he'd managed to cause as much damage as possible for <em>one </em>morning.</p><p>Screw it, he was going to bed.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Robin took a long, refreshing swig from his water bottle before leaning back on the bench to rest his head against the cool metal of the gymnasium wall. He had a fairly good sweat going but was feeling a little better than usual after his morning workout. Kasumi, who was lying on the floor at his feet, looking exhausted; breaths coming in ragged gasps, likely didn't share his sentiment. Seeing her in such an undignified state was still a strange sight for the Boy Wonder to take in. It made her seem more... human somehow; not quite the image of perfection which he'd built up around her.</p><p>He did feel a little bad for pushing her so hard, especially since part of his motivation was quite selfish. It <em>was </em>important that she be able to defend herself, he was just exaggerating the timeline a bit. Still, she was in <em>amazing </em>shape, especially for a home keeper. It made him wonder if some aspect of a super martial artist's abilities were genetic. Considering her conditioning and her learning curve, she had a good chance of catching up to him in a few years.</p><p>As if to prove his point, Kasumi chose that moment to sit up, already looking well on her way to recovery after only a few minutes of rest. The gi clad brunette then pushed herself to her feet and moved to sit beside him in a very prim manner.</p><p>"So, Robin, now that we've had our workout, don't you think it's past time for you to stop avoiding Starfire and accept her invitation to that movie already?"</p><p>"Gah!" Robin clutched his chest in shock as the seemingly oblivious woman cut right to the heart of his scheme like she'd known of it the entire time.</p><p>The eldest Tendo sister played her role well, leveling a disapproving gaze his way.</p><p>"And don't you even <em>try </em>that clichéd stammering denial. I've seen more than my fair share of that over the past two years, and it <em>never </em>works."</p><p>He considered making the attempt regardless, but then let his shoulders sag in defeat as he released a weak sigh. Looking up to catch her eyes, feeling more than a little guilty, he felt compelled to ask.</p><p>"So, how long have you known?"</p><p>Kasumi rolled her eyes in amusement.</p><p>"You may have tipped me off around the time you said, 'That new <em>romantic comedy</em>?'. You know, for a world class detective and a master of disguise, you certainly aren't particularly good at hiding your feelings."</p><p>The young hero felt his cheeks heat up, though he wasn't sure if it was from the reprimand, or from the fact that he'd been found out so easily-</p><p>"Wait a minute! That was last week, before we'd even started. If you knew, why did you go along with it?"</p><p>The young woman smiled fondly, then caught him off guard by running her fingers through his spiky hair. He didn't recoil this time; it was something she did rarely, but he'd gotten used to the intimacy of the contact... if it were her that was doing it.</p><p>"Because, as <em>boyish</em> as it is to hide your feelings like that, I know you wouldn't have suggested this training regimen if it wasn't actually necessary. That, and I knew it would make you happy."</p><p>His blush doubled as she drew her hand back from his hair only to pinch his cheek.</p><p>"T-thanks, Kasumi. That was cool of you to do. Still, you didn't have to do that just to make me happy..."</p><p>Kasumi's lips shifted from fond smile to impish smirk.</p><p>"Well, doing something that you might not want to do to make someone else happy is what a <em>good</em> friend does."</p><p>Robin let out a long groan. "Ohhhhh, I see how it is. This is where the life lesson gets learned and I end up feeling like even more of a heel than I do already, right?"</p><p>The brunette nodded energetically, her smirk taunting him with its soft smugness.</p><p>He let out a weary sigh. If only it were as simple as the Tendo woman believed...</p><p>"Kasumi... this is really hard for me to say, but I really <em>did </em>want to go see that movie with Star. I wanted to go so much it hurts. Heck, I even sat through that Hot Dog documentary, because she wanted to see it"</p><p>The Tendo woman paled slightly at the mention of the documentary but forced herself to carry on.</p><p>"But then why didn't you go?"</p><p>"It's hard to explain, it doesn't even all make sense in my head. All I can say is, that we're heroes, y'know?"</p><p>Kasumi's head swung slowly from side to side, indicating that she did <em>not</em>.</p><p>"Ahhh...well-" he steeled his resolve for what he was about to say, "Kasumi. What we do is important, very important. We help people, we save lives, we are <em>heroes</em>. Our line of work doesn't leave much time for extraneous activities, we don't get vacations, we can't let ourselves be distracted from our duties by <em>anything</em>, no matter how much we might like it... especially me."</p><p>"Because you are the leader?"</p><p>He nodded once, but it soon shifted into a slow swinging from side to side.</p><p>"Yes... and no. I am responsible for everyone, true, so if I make a mistake it could very easily hurt everyone on the team. I can't afford to let my emotions control me in my position. But that's not the whole of it..."</p><p>He gazed down at his ungloved hands, stared at the soft, pink skin that stretched across the backs of his hands. It was so fresh and tender looking, from spending endless hours sealed within his near ever-present gloves. Such a meager layer of cells seemed a woefully fragile defense against the harsh cruelties of the world.</p><p>"More than anyone else, <em>I </em>can't afford to make a mistake, any mistake. I-it was easier to ignore before - before Ryouga joined us. Back then, I was the best fighter on the team, the only <em>real </em>martial artist. Sure, I knew there were people better then me, but <em>Ryouga! </em>Meeting him reminded me just how... normal I was."</p><p>Kasumi gasped in shock.</p><p>"But, Robin, that's just not true. You are an exceptional young man."</p><p>He nodded, a humorless smile on his lips.</p><p>"Yeah... and I used to think that was enough. I mean, at least with Batman, I knew that, in time, I could catch up, even surpass him. But with Ryouga, and Ranma, and all the others like them, I'll <em>never </em>attain that level. And even if I did, by that time, they would have grown so far beyond it that it would be exactly the same..."</p><p>He felt a comforting hand rest on his shoulder.</p><p>"But with Cologne's training, and Ryouga's help, surely you can-"</p><p>He shook his head slowly.</p><p>"I'd like to say yes, but it would be naïve – foolish even, to think that someone that started so much later could catch up to warriors that have dedicated their entire lives to the art, with just a few months of intensive training.</p><p>"But that's not even the point, it's just that... I can't fly, I can't fire energy blasts, I definitely can't get punched <em>through </em>a concrete wall and just brush off the rubble like it was nothing. <em>All </em>that I have is my skill, and my faith in myself... and frankly, the latter has been a bit shaken lately."</p><p>A look of comprehension dawned on his companion's face.</p><p>"So, this training has been as much for you as it has for me, is that it?"</p><p>He nodded sheepishly.</p><p>"Of everyone here, you're in the most similar position to me. An ordinary person thrust into extraordinary circumstances. So, I hope you can understand how I feel. It's not that I don't like Star... I <em>do</em>... but can I really afford to let anything happen between us? I mean, what happens if I get too involved and it affects my judgment?"</p><p>He rose to his feet and started to pace anxiously.</p><p>"What if I turn my back on Cyborg in a fight because I'm worried that Starfire <em>might </em>be in danger? What if I see someone about to blast Star, and the first thing I think to do is push her out of the way and the energy blast that might have bruised her blows me into meaty chunks? What if – what if..."</p><p>So lost in his increasingly grim vision of the future was he, that he nearly walked straight into Kasumi, who gently rested her hands on his shoulders to stop his frantic pacing.</p><p>"Robin, please stop. You're going to worry yourself sick if you keep this up."</p><p>He looked up to her, a twisting tightness in his chest.</p><p>"But – but -"</p><p>She shook her head firmly.</p><p>"Just put all of that nonsense out of your mind. You know very well that you would never leave Victor in danger, no matter the circumstances. And you are also an intelligent young man that is keenly aware of his limitations. Besides, you already feel strongly for Starfire, don't bother denying it, so I'm sure you've dealt with both of those situations countless times before and dealt with them all calmly and professionally. Having faith in your friend's strength is just as important as believing in yourself, after all."</p><p>He considered that. It did make sense. He knew that each of his friends were more than capable of taking care of themselves, and he knew that they felt the same way about him. Kasumi then placed a finger under his chin and lifted his gaze to match hers.</p><p>"Remember, you help people, Robin, you bring hope and happiness into the hearts of those people that truly need a hero... but what does it all mean if you can't make those closest to you happy as well?"</p><p>The alien thought brought him up short. What exactly did she mean? Was he more concerned for strangers than for his friends? No, that wasn't it, couldn't be it. He cared about everyone one of the Titans more than he had imagined possible when they had first been forced together as a team.</p><p>"I... I don't know..."</p><p>"Shhh, shhh..." Kasumi drew the young hero into a comforting hug, resting his head on her bosom as she whispered into his ear. "Don't try to figure everything out all at once. These things take time, even for 'ordinary' people like us. You take as long as you need to sort out your feelings. I know that Starfire will wait for you."</p><p>Robin relished the warmth of the young woman's tender embrace, drowned in the feeling of security that enveloped him. For someone who had always been so self reliant, it was a strange, almost uncomfortable sensation... but, as long as it was Kasumi, he didn't mind. Of course, if Cyborg or Beast Boy chose that moment to walk in, he'd be forced to kill them on the spot.</p><p>"I'm so glad that I finally told you how I feel, Kasumi. It feels so <em>good </em>to finally get it all out into the open like that, like I can breathe again."</p><p>Kasumi smiled down at him.</p><p>"I'm so glad that you told me, as well. Though, I think you should tell Starfire at some point. She's a big girl, so I'm certain that she'll understand your feelings."</p><p>He nodded absently, still enjoying the simple pleasure of human contact that didn't involve the subsonic collision of fist and face.</p><p>"I will... eventually. I just don't know how to tell her about this yet."</p><p>Finally, Kasumi released him from her embrace and pushed him back to arm's length.</p><p>"Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. Now, why don't we go get cleaned up? Lunch should be ready soon and I don't particularly want to eat while smelling like this."</p><p>To drive her point home, the young woman gingerly pinched the shoulder of her gi top and lifted it slightly. Her nose wrinkled cutely in apparent dissatisfaction with the current odor it was giving off.</p><p>He chuckled quietly to himself, feeling better than he had in quite some time. Sure, he still had a lot of stuff to figure out, but at least he knew he wasn't alone in his 'normalcy'.</p><p>"That sounds great."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Starfire floated down a random hallway, feeling more alone than she could remember since her misadventure into the future with the villainous Warp. Honestly, she did not have an idea which hallway she was floating down. It was becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate on anything aside from the nearly unrecognizable remains of the tickets which she clutched so desperately to her chest. Really, though, misplacing herself in the hallways of her own home, perhaps she was emulating her would-be brother incrementally more than was necessary.</p><p>That errant thought wormed its way through her gloomy mindset and managed to lift her flagging spirit... if only a little. Despite everything which had been occurring as of late, or <em>not </em>occurring, she knew that her Lost Boy would be untouched by it, that he would be there to support her, if she but asked. Certainly, he appeared to be going through a 'rough patch' with Raven. However, as much as she had a vested interest in the outcome of that match, it was no more her business than what occurred (or did not) between herself and Robin was any of Ryouga's business.</p><p>Somehow, the knowledge that she had the support of someone, no matter how silent, made her feel slightly less alone at that moment. It also helped to firm her resolve. She had promised herself to ask Robin one last time to join her and that was what she would do!</p><p>That in mind, she embarked on what turned out to be a most abridged journey to the gymnasium. In fact, without even realizing it, her random floating of mopiness had delivered her to the very same floor upon which her quarry was located.</p><p>She giggled brightly; perhaps she was not acting so similar to Ryouga as she had assumed.</p><p>Quite happy with her unintentional efficiency, she glided soundlessly down the hallway to the main entrance of the massive exercise chamber-</p><p>"- so glad that I finally told you how I feel, Kasumi. It feels so <em>good </em>to finally get it all out into the open like that, like I can breathe again."</p><p>Starfire stopped dead in mid-float, her eyes widening at what was undoubtedly Robin's voice.</p><p>"I'm so glad that you told me, as well. Though, I think you should tell Starfire at some point. She's a big girl, so I'm certain that she'll understand your feelings."</p><p>The Tamaranean swallowed a shocked gasp at the mention of her name, and the fact that it was spoken in the voice of Kasumi. What did Robin need to tell her? What feelings were Robin unburdening upon the Tendo woman?</p><p>Apprehension clutched her heart, and she felt an overpowering desire to flee before she could hear any more... yet she was drawn inexorably forward. With fearful reluctance, Starfire edged towards the corner that signified the end of the corridor and the beginning of the gymnasium until, finally, she could just catch a glimpse of what was occurring within.</p><p>This time, she was forced to cover her mouth lest her shocked gasp alert half of the tower.</p><p>It was Robin, in the arms of that – that... she could not even think of an appropriate term. To her shame, she still could not find it in her heart to blame the older woman. After all, it was only too obvious why Robin would choose a perfect and beautiful woman like Kasumi over an alien freak such as herself...</p><p>But – but perhaps she was misinterpreting things? Perhaps the situation was not as she imagined it to be-</p><p>"I will... eventually. I just don't know how to tell her about this yet."</p><p>Before she even realized what she was doing, Starfire was flying down the hallway as fast as the restrained space would allow, a comet tail of tears twinkling in her wake. Too fast, perhaps, as her shoulder slammed heavily into a random wall, caving in the frail metal in her blind retreat. She ignored the collateral damage and escaped out of the closest window that she could locate.</p><p>The alien girl soared over the city that had become her home, raining her misery over the people she had sworn to protect.</p><p>
  <em>'How could he... how could she?'</em>
</p><p>Starfire bit back a sob. She <em>wanted </em>to feel betrayed, but that was not truly the case, was it? Though she had made her own feelings clearly known, Robin's feelings had always been shrouded in mystery, always sending conflicting signals of distance and affection which she could not understand. Had he <em>ever</em> truly returned her feelings?</p><p>Had he ever been hers to lose in the first place?</p><p>That was a sobering thought, enough to bring her aimless flight to an end. She slowly lowered herself to the earth, mulling over that depressing thought even as she dashed her tears away. Perhaps she had read too much into Robin's previous actions? Perhaps her own desires had simply caused her to see only what she wished to see?</p><p>It did not make the pain any less, but it did allow her to put what she had seen into a strange kind of perspective. After all, she was not Robin's keeper, he was free to do as he wished. Nor was it a betrayal of her trust if Kasumi returned Robin's affections, since there was no true relationship for Kasumi to interfere with...</p><p>And if she believed that, she had a Buat'luk in Rigel Four to sell herself.</p><p>Maybe it was just the shock of the situation, but she just did not know what to think, what to do. All she did know, was that she <em>needed </em>to do <em>something</em> - talk to someone...</p><p>Finally, she looked up to take in her surroundings. A pained smile strained her lips at what she saw. Apparently, her subconscious knew her better than she knew herself.</p><p>Before her loomed a familiar cave, a long strip of bright yellow tape which read 'Absolutely Do Not Disturb' hanging across its mouth.</p><p>Well, that hardly applied to her, now did it?</p><p>Without a trace of hesitation, she glided over the meager defense and began her slow descent into the earth. Around her, responding to the signal of her communicator, pale lights adorning the walls of the cave flared to life to light her passage.</p><p>Her mind swirled with a thousand thoughts as she descended, her heart overflowed with a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. Righteous fury eluded her, her affection for Robin was unchanged, just... shaken. Jealousy and envy battled friendship and camaraderie as she agonized over the images burned into her memory of Robin enveloped in Kasumi's arms.</p><p>A pained sigh escaped her lips.</p><p>It was no use; she loved them both far too much to ever hate them. But then considering all that her own sister had done to her without losing her love, it hardly surprised the young Tamaranean. She was obviously too nice for her own good.</p><p>Maybe she needed to think of herself first, even if only once.</p><p>That thought brought her to the end of her journey. The narrow cave she had been floating through opened wide before her into a massive and intimately familiar cavern. Terra held her silent vigil at the heart of the cavern, just as she had been doing since her heroic saving of the city.</p><p>But where was Ryouga?</p><p>Her friend was nowhere to be seen. Curious, the Tamaranean floated further into the cavernous space to investigate. The Lost Boy's mountainous pile of pizza boxes remained stacked against one of the far walls, just as she remembered it. Finding nothing else immediately obvious, she continued to float to Terra's resting place.</p><p>She gave a tiny wave of her fingers and a melancholy smile of greeting to her frozen friend, then noticed something unusual. Littering the ground around the base of Terra's statue was an array of strange scrap materials: A small pile of plastic fragments that may have once been a bottle, a pile of white sand that looked to have been knocked apart and swept back together again many times, several shattered flowerpots, a small steel plate with several small indentations suspiciously similar in size to a fingertip, and, finally, a small glass half filled with water-</p><p>Before Starfire could even begin to unravel the strange mystery so deliberately lain out before her, a sharp report echoed though the cavern. The sudden sound shocked a tiny 'eep' from her lips and she spun quickly to find the source. Despite the misleading echoes of the cavern, it did not take her long to find where it had come from.</p><p>Located at the distant end of the cavern, well clear of Terra's statue... and for some reason surrounded by a wide semi circle of tiny holes in the stone floor, was Ryouga. And for some reason, he was lying face down with limbs spread out across the igneous surface.</p><p>It looked, much to her amusement, as if the boy were attempting to hug the very earth itself.</p><p>Starfire hung in the air where she was, silently studying the Lost Boy's prone form. Strangely, it felt as if she were <em>truly </em>looking at him for the first time...</p><p>He was not asleep, that much was certain. Even with his cheek pressed firmly to the floor, she could see that his eyes were open, his pupils dilated so wide that she could scarcely see the exotic brown color that ringed them. Whatever it was that he was staring at, though, she had no idea.</p><p>The male was, she noted, quite handsome, in a rugged manner. Of course, she had always known that, but it had never really registered to her before, just as she had never really noted the more aesthetic features of Cyborg, Beast Boy, or Raven in any serious fashion before.</p><p>There was, of course, the rather shallow physical appeal of a specimen in such prime condition. Not even their friend, Aqualad, possessed such a toned, a more artistic soul might say <em>sculpted, </em>physique. And, while the Atlantean was undeniably... prettier, she found herself preferring Ryouga's roguish aesthetic.</p><p>More attractive to her was the young man's spirit. Even across the distance between them, his dark soul sang its sad, yet determined song to her. By no means were her fledgling senses as sharp or refined as Raven's and Ryouga's, but they were more than enough to feel his life energies flowing over and around her own as the warrior spread his aura throughout the cavern. It was forceful and desperate, holding a hint of malice that could not be washed away with the mere passage of time. The fading pain and loneliness that were buried at the core of his being drew her like a moth to a flame, filling her with the desire to consume his darkness with her light...</p><p>It was, somewhat ironically, very much the same way in which she felt for Raven. The only difference being that the violet haired Titan often went to great lengths to create distance between them, while Ryouga welcomed her into his life with arms wide open.</p><p>Then, there was her one guilty pleasure, her darkest secret which she had shared with no one. His raven hair, so very much like Robin's, yet at the same time so different. It was so exotic, so alien... so dangerous... just like her sister's. On Tamaran, black hair was all but unheard of. In all her short lifetime, Starfire had only met one Tamaranean whom possessed hair of such inky darkness: her sister Blackfire. True, it was much more common on Earth, but her associations were already inescapably entrenched.</p><p>A petty little thought flitted across her mind: at least with Ryouga, she had not to fear smearing copious amounts of hair gel across her hand were she to run her fingers through his soft, untamed locks... unlike a certain <em>other </em>male, who was so afraid of not being in control, <em>even</em> <em>for a second</em>, that he felt compelled to lock his poor hair in place with such unnatural chemicals.</p><p>She quickly banished the unseemly thought, feeling bad for thinking such a thing, and returned her attention to the prone form of her close friend.</p><p>The Lost Boy looked to be concentrating extremely hard on... whatever it was that he was doing. For a moment, a wave of guilt washed over her. Her and her friends had possessed months to try to restore Terra, but how hard had they really tried? Certainly, tests had been run and experts visited, but once those had failed, then what? Had it merely been a token effort?</p><p>Yet here was a man that knew nothing of Terra, had never heard her laugh, never seen her shed a tear, never shared an embrace with her, who had no bonds of friendship to motivate him... working harder than anyone ever had to free their entombed Terra.</p><p>How could one person be so selfish, yet so selfless at the same time? So cruel to his enemies and compassionate to his friends? How could one person deceive the woman he believed he loved one moment, only to be ready to sacrifice his life for her the very next?</p><p>It was all so confusing and intriguing. Sometimes, she wanted to bludgeon the boy herself, sometimes she wanted to-</p><p>She cut off that line of thought quickly.</p><p>Honestly, she did not know what to think, but there <em>was</em> one thing that she did know at that moment. Despite his remarkable resilience (for a human, at any rate) there was simply no way that he could possibly be comfortable lying as he was on that cold stone floor.</p><p>Well, at the very least there was something she could do about <em>that</em>.</p><p>A mischievous smile pulled at the corners of her lips.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ryouga did his best to narrow his focus down even further, trying desperately to follow and map out the almost infinitesimal lines of energy which hung suspended between the much more visible breaking points, linking them into a massive and intricate web of unfathomable complexity. Perhaps if he could, then he could determine why he kept failing-</p><p>He started suddenly, as he felt a warm pressure unexpectedly lower onto his back. His first instinct was to throw off the weight and flip up to his feet – but somehow the meager weight on his back was pinning him to the ground with an unearthly strength that-</p><p>Immediately, Ryouga relaxed, rolling his eyes in fond annoyance. As soon as he stopped his struggling, he felt Starfire relax as well, nuzzling comfortably onto his back. She had also laid her legs to rest on top of his and slid her arms down until her hands wrapped around the backs of his, lacing her fingers between his own.</p><p>He turned his head slightly to see her smiling face only inches from his own, her eyes twinkling with mischief.</p><p>"Sheesh, Star, you scared the begeezus out of me!" he stated with a little more amusement than intended.</p><p>The flame haired female giggled teasingly into his ear.</p><p>"Heeheehee, perhaps you are not the master of the martial arts that you believed yourself to be, if someone as unskilled as I could catch you so off guard."</p><p>The fanged boy was about to retort - but was overcome by an irresistible urge to stretch out his limbs. Squeezing his fingers closed around his companion's, he relished the life-giving warmth radiating from her body, warmth that he hadn't even realized he was missing until that moment. A blissful sigh escaped his lips before he let out a weak chuckle.</p><p>"Heh, I'd hardly call you unskilled. Besides, that's not fair. I've gotten so comfortable with your aura that it didn't even register to me. If it had been anyone else, I would have noticed them halfway down the tunnel."</p><p>Starfire offered him an assuring nod, squeezing his hands in return.</p><p>"Of <em>course </em>you would have."</p><p>He scowled lightly at her, but even that soon dissolved into an affectionate smile.</p><p>"So, what brings you down to my little dungeon, then? This is the first time you've visited me in a good week."</p><p>A look of guilt flashed across the girl's face, stabbing him through the heart, but it was quickly replaced by a weak smile.</p><p>"Well, you <em>had </em>placed a series of blatant warnings at the mouth of the cave declaring your desire for solitude..."</p><p>He rolled his eyes and used their combined knuckles to rap her on the head.</p><p>"Come on, Kori, you know that could never apply to you."</p><p>Starfire used their intertwined hands to rub her forehead before sticking out her tongue in a most proficient Earthly raspberry.</p><p>"I am aware of that and I apologize. I have been preoccupied lately... with Robin... and have neglected to visit you. I am a most selfish sibling analogue."</p><p>He shook his head in amusement.</p><p>"Don't be like that. You're the best sister I've ever had-" His eyes narrowed as he remembered his <em>other </em>would-be sister. "-<em>Trust me</em>."</p><p>The heartwarming sound of her giggles brought a smile back to his lips, his ever-present fang peeking out from his fanged grin.</p><p>"Besides, I can hardly blame you if you've been <em>preoccupied </em>with Robin. So, where did you get <em>preoccupied</em>, his room, or yours?"</p><p>"<em>Ryouga!</em>"</p><p>His wicked chuckle was cut short as the red-faced girl ever so gently bumped her forehead to the back of his skull, incidentally embedding his face a good inch into the solid stone floor.</p><p>A moment later, he lifted his face out of his new crater, spitting out a few pebbles as he did, only to continue his chuckling.</p><p>"Mayhaps the lady doth protest too much?" He performed his best Kunou.</p><p>The Tamaranean let out an indignant sniff, face still flushed as crimson as her hair.</p><p>"You are worse than <em>Kasumi</em> in your most inappropriate comments."</p><p>He would have scratched his head at that comment, had his hands been his own at that moment. <em>'Worse than Kasumi</em>?’ Well, he certainly hoped so, in fact, he probably had a <em>lot </em>of company on <em>that </em>particular list... like Gandhi.</p><p>"Alright, alright. If you don't want to kiss and tell, I understand."</p><p>Starfire averted her eyes for a moment, looking to be struggling with something. A moment later, she matched his gaze once more. There was a look of <em>something</em> in her eyes, something he didn't like at all.</p><p>"In all honesty, there has been <em>no </em>lip contact of any kind. Robin has been most frustrating in his behavior lately. And just recently I saw - saw..."</p><p>"Saw what?" he asked quietly.</p><p>The Tamaranean quickly shook her head from side to side, pasting a most disingenuous smile on her face.</p><p>"<em>Nothing</em>! Nothing... of impact. Let me just say that my visit today was prompted as much by my desire to escape the tower as it was to bring joy to you."</p><p>His hackles began to rise as he thought about that. A low growl escaped his lips.</p><p>"You want me to beat Robin up for you? <em>No one </em>chases my sister out of her home... even if it does get her to finally visit her big brother."</p><p>Surprisingly, the alien girl seemed to consider his offer... then consider it some more... then, finally, she shook her head in the negative.</p><p>"I do not believe that would solve anything. And what precisely were you implying with your 'big brother' statement? I am obviously your big sister."</p><p>"Umm, I'm <em>older</em> than you, Kori, so I'm the big brother."</p><p>"But I am more <em>mature </em>than you, thus I am the senior sibling."</p><p>"Yeah... yeah – well <em>I'm </em>more worldly than you."</p><p>A smug look settled across her exotic features.</p><p>"<em>Really</em>? Then I am to suppose that you have traversed more than twenty-seven separate planetary bodies in your journey?"</p><p>"Damnit! B-but I'm <em>bigger</em>!"</p><p>Her smirk only widened as she forced his arms to his sides with her superior strength.</p><p>"But I am stronger."</p><p>Ryouga released a defeated sigh.</p><p>"I don't suppose we can call this a draw, can we?"</p><p>Starfire retained her teasing smirk for another moment, before is melted into a genuine, loving smile.</p><p>"Very well, but only for the reason that I believe our fondness for one another is equally strong."</p><p>Well, he could live with that. Sighing in relief, he lowered his cheek back down into his custom-made crater.</p><p>"So, Ryouga, what is it that you are endeavoring to do now? What does the presence of these unusual holes surrounding you signify?"</p><p>Immediately, his mood soured once more as his recent training endeavors were brought back into the spotlight.</p><p>"<em>These </em>holes?" He pointed to several of the tiny gouges in the bedrock, ranging from two feet from him, to a dozen feet removed. "Each of <em>these </em>holes represents me murdering Terra."</p><p>Starfire's shocked gasp was <em>not </em>unexpected.</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>Rather than tell her, he decided to show her. He didn't bother closing his eyes this time, just let his mind's eye wander until the familiar sight of a glowing matrices of glowing golden threads spread out before his eyes to encompass every inch of the cavern. Taking another moment of concentration, he chose a nearby breaking point and did his best to predict a probable route for it to follow.</p><p>"Now, watch closely," he whispered.</p><p>He didn't release his focus for an instant, and amazingly, even having Starfire laying directly on top of him, her aura pressing down on his own, didn't distract him in the slightest.</p><p>He then touched his index finger, a small spark of his faintly azure ki glowing at its tip, to the breaking point.</p><p>It all happened in a flash, but to his trained eye it all seemed to occur like a slow-motion sports replay. The tiny spark of ki entered the breaking point... but rather than detonate it instantly, as normally it would, the flicker of energy was absorbed <em>into</em> the point and flitted down one of the near invisible threads of energy which intersected the nexi. The spark slid down the line, entered another breaking point, then continued down yet another string of the Earth's own energy. This continued for three more breaking points, before the tiny flicker of light went off course, shooting down one of the other innumerable lines that spread out from the fifth breaking point. Surprisingly, the spark of his spiritual energy made it through three more random nexi before finally destabilizing and detonating into a small puff of dust and stone roughly four feet from where he'd intended.</p><p>Hmmm, interesting, that. It had made it fifteen feet, his furthest attempt to date - but it still wasn't <em>enough</em>!</p><p>Starfire let out a long 'oooh' of amazement.</p><p>"Ryouga, you have developed a long-range revision of your Breaking Point Technique!"</p><p>Ryouga quickly shook his head. "No, that's not what I'm doi-"</p><p>He stopped abruptly, his jaw working slowly on its own.</p><p>"...wait a second... You're <em>right</em>! Oh man! How the heck did I miss that?"</p><p>Another round of Starfire's pleasant giggle prompted him to drop his head back to the stone floor with a dull crunch.</p><p>"Perhaps if you were to inform me what it is that you <em>were</em> attempting to do, that could illuminate the situation."</p><p>The fanged boy let out a long, weary sigh.</p><p>"Maybe, but it is kind of a long story. I had <em>started </em>to tell Raven about it before... things happened but let me try to explain."</p><p>Starfire waited patiently as he tried to organize his thoughts. Then, taking one last breath, he began.</p><p>"Okay, it starts like this. After studying Terra for a few weeks, I finally realized what, or at least what I <em>think </em>had happened. Incidentally, I also think I finally figured out what Cologne was talking about all that time ago. Somehow, when Terra stopped the volcano that was going to destroy the city, I think she used every bit of power she had to do it... and that power became infused into the very earth and stone of the cavern around us. There's still a connection there, between Terra and her energy, so that's why I'm so sure there's still a chance to revive her. Heh, of course, the only reason it took me so long to figure all of that out is because Terra's energy is almost indistinguishable from the energy of the Earth itself."</p><p>The Tamaranean's eyes widened as she tried to process the information he was giving her.</p><p>"Of course, when I figured that out, I suddenly realized exactly what it was that Cologne had attempted to do when she used the Bakusai Tenketsu on Terra... and was left wondering why it didn't work. Thankfully, thanks to a conversation I had with Raven, it didn't take me to long to figure that out either."</p><p>"Really? How is it possible that you could have divined something that Cologne could not? I know you are very skilled, but her knowledge is beyond comprehension."</p><p>He smiled a rare smile of pride.</p><p>"Because, like I said, I had information that she didn't. Well, that and I spent more than five minutes examining Terra's statue. And now that I know what it was that's stopping Terra's energy from returning on its own, I can fix it... theoretically. Of course, even if I did that right now, it would still probably take months for Terra's ki, or life energy, or whatever, to return naturally, so I've been trying to emulate Cologne's technique, to kind of... jump start Terra, I suppose. By forcing a tiny amount of my energy to travel down Terra's ki meridians, I'm hoping that I can artificially start her ki flowing again, which will hopefully begin drawing her energy back into her body immediately."</p><p>Starfire smiled ecstatically.</p><p>"That is ingenious, Ryouga!"</p><p>He shook his head modestly.</p><p>"No, not really. Just good luck and good teachers, really."</p><p>"But then if you have determined how to save Terra, then what seems to be the hindrance to your plan?" she asked with marked interest.</p><p>He rolled his eyes, more annoyed with himself than her. "Aside from the breaking points <em>exploding </em>you mean? I don't dare use the technique on her before I'm sure I can do it without killing her. If I could get my energy to run its full course <em>without </em>exploding, then I could be sure I wouldn't hurt her. Unfortunately, I can't get it more than a dozen feet most of the time before my energy reverts and detonates a breaking point."</p><p>A puzzled look descended on the alien beauties face.</p><p>"Reverts? What do you mean by that?"</p><p>He stared at her for a moment, before realizing he hadn't explained that part yet.</p><p>"Ahh, well, you see, I've spent most of my time down here attempting to accumulate my ki to match Terra's-"</p><p>"I believe the term you are referring to is 'acclimate'"</p><p>"Sheesh, now I'm getting corrected by an <em>alien</em>."</p><p>"<em>Heeheehee</em>."</p><p>"<em>Anyway</em>, my earlier attempts were complete failures. My ki, as it is, is too different from Terra's to interact with the breaking points without detonating them. However, I noticed that the longer I tried it, the easier it got. At first, I thought it was just the training paying off, but then I noticed that <em>my </em>ki had been changing, adapting to the Earth's energy. So, then I started doing everything I could to acclimate my spirit more thoroughly."</p><p>"Hence the lying upon the stone floor?"</p><p>He nodded.</p><p>"Exactly, by staying down here as much as possible, and remaining in contact with the stone as often as I could, I've actually been able to slightly modify my own energy... make it more compatible. It's still not there yet, but I'm getting closer. Now, the only thing I can't quite figure out is controlling the path the energy takes. I'd been worried about it looping around in Terra's body and causing problems in her ki flow, but, now that you mentioned it, if I wanted to make it into an effective combat technique, the aiming would be pretty crucial as well."</p><p>She smiled then, just for him.</p><p>"Your progress is most heartening. The thought that Terra might soon be returned to us fills my heart with hope... Though... perhaps - perhaps it would be best if I left your company for now, to allow you to return you to your work."</p><p>A sudden and very out of character desire to <em>not </em>be by himself when he was training gripped him from seemingly nowhere. He quickly closed his fingers tightly around hers, holding her in place as best as he could.</p><p>"<em>No</em>, you don't need to go. I can keep training while you're here. It won't distract me as long as it's you," he stated rather quickly.</p><p>Starfire's joyous smile warmed his heart in a way that not even her warm body pressed against his could. The alien girl then lowered her head to rest on his back and nuzzled her cheek into the rough material of his familiar yellow sweater, obviously getting comfortable.</p><p>"Very well, I will remain here. You may proceed with your training; I shall be more than content simply to... be here."</p><p>He smiled at that, content to feel the warmth of her breath seeping through his sweater to warm his skin. He'd have to watch himself, lest he be lulled to sleep by his comfortable new blanket.</p><p>An amusing stray thought flitted across his mind.</p><p>"Y'know, Kori, as long as you're here, maybe I could try to teach <em>you </em>the Bakusai Tenketsu. I mean, you already have an excellent understanding of energy manipulation, and you figured out the Hiryua Shoten Ha, so this shouldn't be too much more difficult."</p><p>His companion perked up quickly at that though, interest twinkling in her enormous emerald eyes.</p><p>"Really? You believe I could attempt it?"</p><p>He nodded reassuringly.</p><p>"Sure, you're a natural. I bet you could even help me with Terra. Here, give me your finger."</p><p>He deftly slid his index finger under hers and straightened them both out.</p><p>"Now, focus a tiny amount of energy right to the very tip of your finger. Just a little bit." He did so himself, demonstrating the technique for her to emulate. He could see her studying his fingertip, it was obvious that she was having trouble making out exactly what it was he was doing. Well, he shouldn't have been too surprised, he hadn't gotten around to teaching her about sensing ki yet, and Raven had only taught her a minimum about sensing auras and such herself.</p><p>Still, remarkably, after only several minutes of intense concentration, he saw a tiny green star alight at the tip of the young woman's graceful finger.</p><p>"Alright, good work. Now, just let me find a breaking point for you to hit annnd..."</p><p>Very carefully, he directed her finger towards a smooth section of the floor, carefully curling up his own finger to avoid hitting the point himself. Then, after aiming very carefully, he prompted her to touch her finger to exactly the right spot-</p><p>And, with the sizzling hiss of melting stone, Starfire's finger buried itself right up to knuckle into the once unyielding stone floor.</p><p>The two shared a brief glance.</p><p>"Ummm, maybe I'll teach you the Bakusai Tenketsu <em>after </em>I help Terra..."</p><p>"Umm... perhaps that would be for the best."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Starfire shifted slightly, sliding her hands beneath her to rest on the broad shoulders of the young man below her. She had relinquished the use of his hands back to him so that he might continue his training. It was a slow process, to be sure. In the half hour since she had made her embarrassing attempt at the Breaking Point Technique, he had only done his modified technique twice. The first attempt traversed seventeen feet and had been followed by ten minutes of silent contemplation. He then made a second attempt, which traveled only thirteen feet before detonating.</p><p>He had yet to make a third attempt, and a small frown still adorned his lips in testament to his rather notable regression in progress. This situation was, she believed, a most excellent opportunity for her to be learning about the technique, as well as the fine control of ki necessary to perform it... so she felt quite ashamed that her mind was focused on anything but the educational process occurring directly beneath her nose.</p><p>Instead, all she could see was the image of Robin in Kasumi's arms, cycling endlessly, over and over again. The masked hero, he looked so... so safe in her arms, as if he had not a care in the world. <em>She </em>had never seen him in such a state, not during any of their missions, not on any of their wondrous trips to the mall of shopping, not even in their most private of discussions during the middle of the night, when all other Titans were sleeping. He had looked so vulnerable then, as if all he desired was to be cared for... only it was Kasumi caring for him, not herself.</p><p>But, then why should he feel safe in <em>her </em>arms? How many times had Starfire unintentionally harmed him when demonstrating her affection for him? How many other people had suffered similar afflictions? She knew that her control over her own strength was less than perfect, especially when she was so charged with emotion. It was hard to remember that so many of her friends were so... delicate...</p><p>Slowly, she slid her hands down her mortal mattresses' sides and beneath his chest. Accommodatingly, he lifted his torso from the ground to allow her arms to encircle him fully. The Tamaranean hugged him then – it was a true hug, a hug like the ones her mother gave her as a child, filled with all her passion and joy, untainted by fear and restraint.</p><p>To her relief, the human martial artist barely even grunted in protest, his ribs failed to cave in, his internal organs did not rupture or burst...</p><p>"It feels good, does it not?" she asked quietly.</p><p>He turned slightly to face her, a fanged grin on his lips.</p><p>"Heh, well, hugs usually <em>do</em>, Kori."</p><p>She offered him a weak smile in return, shaking her head slowly.</p><p>"That is not what I meant. I meant, it feels good to hug someone, to show them your true affection without fear of causing them harm... Do you know what I am speaking of?"</p><p>She regretted the question almost immediately, at the haunted look that suddenly passed through the young male's dark eyes.</p><p>"...Have you ever heard the person you love telling someone how much you terrified them? Yeah... yeah, I know what you are speaking of..."</p><p>She wondered what it was that his eyes were seeing, what scene was playing out in his mind's eye, for surely his eyes were not looking upon her at that moment. The young man slowly lowered his head back to the stone floor, the distant, pain-filled look still lingering in his eyes.</p><p>The silence lasted for several long minutes; she honestly had no idea what to say to follow up her question. He looked so forlorn so in need of reassurance - almost in as great a need for reassurance as she herself was. She hated herself for her selfishness at that moment, but felt compelled to press on, regardless.</p><p>"Ryouga, do you find me to be... attractive?"</p><p>Instantly, the look of remembered pain vanished from Ryouga's face, replaced by overstated shock, however, it quickly faded back into amused fondness as he turned back to face her.</p><p>"Heh, you're as cute as a button, Kori. You know you're one of the prettiest girls I know."</p><p>She quickly caught his averting eyes with her own, pinning him down with a serious look.</p><p>"<em>No</em>... do <em>you </em>find <em>me</em> to be attractive."</p><p>He matched her serious gaze, fear, amongst other conflicting emotions beginning to swirl in the far depths of his bottomless chestnut eyes.</p><p>"W-w-wha... Star, why are you..."</p><p>Slowly, she slid her hand down his arm once more to entwine it with his. She could feel his body temperature begin to spike and his cheeks flushed with blood at the very same contact which he had not even questioned less than an hour earlier.</p><p><em>'What am I doing</em>?'</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>'<em>What is she doing</em>!'</p><p>The pressure in his nasal cavity was approaching critical mass at Starfire's sudden and drastic change in approach. Where moments ago they had been enjoying comfortable silence, he was now battling to remain conscious. Fortunately, of all the emotions currently swirling through his brain, Fear was close enough to the surface that he was able to latch on to it with both metaphorical hands and clamp down with every ounce of willpower he had.</p><p>Hopefully, it would explode into full-blown Panic soon and get him out of this mess!</p><p>She matched his gaze; he could see the very same mass of confused emotions mirrored in her eyes that resided in his. Fear, uncertainty... and something else swam around in those huge, glistening emerald eyes of hers. Her inviting lips trembled in trepidation, her breathing slowing down to almost nothing.</p><p>"Please do not tell me that you have never even considered it... considered being with someone whom you did not have to fear harming with your affection?"</p><p>The fanged warrior looked away sharply, feeling ashamed for some reason. His lowered gaze brought their clasped hands firmly into his view. Absently, with his free hand, he lifted a fist sized stone from the cavern floor. At the same time, he began to close his hand around the hand and the stone with equal fervor; not with a grip meant to harm, but with the desperate, wild abandon of a man grasping his last lifeline.</p><p>In his right hand, the stone slowly crumbled into a fine powder, in his left, Starfire's hand accepted the pressure without the slightest complaint, she didn't even tense the muscles of her hand to resist his intense grip...</p><p>Instead of a squeal of pain or protest, Starfire made a content sound. "It is nice… to <em>feel </em>you holding my hand... and not just feel a faint sensation of touch telling me that something is within my grasp..."</p><p>Before he could even think about it, he pulled their entwined hands to his chest, pressing them to his heart fervently. It felt so – so right... yet so terribly <em>wrong</em>. He didn't even know what to think, in fact, thought was getting harder and harder by the second.</p><p>"B-but <em>why</em>?" was all he could force himself to say.</p><p>She averted her eyes for a moment.</p><p>"I... I have seen something which has made me reconsider my feelings... on a great many things. Does it – does it strike you as so unnatural that I might find <em>you </em>to be desirable?"</p><p>Slowly, he nodded, not trusting himself to say anything else. Her weak smile grew in strength at his silent admission.</p><p>"But you <em>are</em>. You are passionate, courageous, selfless, you are unafraid to express your feelings, you are strong enough to survive the expressing of <em>my </em>feelings... You should know that you would have made a most excellent Tamaranean."</p><p>He smiled weakly at that, at least she wasn't comparing him to a <em>pig</em>. His smile quickly floundered, though, as she slowly began to lower her head toward his. His eyes widened frightfully wide as her lips pursed ever so slightly, he could feel the intoxicating warmth of her breath on his own...</p><p>A thousand thoughts all exploded in his mind at once, cheers of joy, screams of horror and everything in between. However, of all the voices in his head, there was only one which was truly his and he latched onto it with the last flagging reserves of his will. Just as her lips were a fraction of an inch from his own –</p><p>"P-please don't... Kori..."</p><p>Starfire stopped at his whispered plea; he could see mingled disappointment and relief flooding her eyes.</p><p>"But, why not... am I that unappealing to you?" she asked quietly.</p><p>He shook his head slowly.</p><p>"No... no, it's just that... that you know that I'm not – not a strong man."</p><p>"That is not true, you are the strongest human I know-"</p><p>"That's not what I meant," he interrupted her with slightly more force than he wanted to, "Y-you know what I meant. You know what kind of man I am. I'm not strong... like that. If - if you kiss me right now... I'd fall for you. I'd fall hard... and I'd never stop falling..."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>A weak gasp escaped Starfire's lips at his choked admission. She slid her free hand up to gently run her fingers along his cheek, gently holding his face steady before her. Her lips lingered mere millimeters above his, the light tickle of his breath playing over her nose.</p><p>"And... would that be so bad?" she asked in a low voice.</p><p>The veritable titan trembled beneath her feather light touch, unable to match her intense gaze. It felt so intoxicating, knowing that she held such power over him... power she had never known before, never even wanted before. It was so heady, yet so terrifying at the same time. Despite his feeble protests, all it would take was a single kiss and...</p><p>And...</p><p>"Maybe... maybe not... but it would be different... and nothing on this entire planet frightens me more than the thought of losing what we have <em>right now</em>."</p><p>She looked at him in confusion.</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>He continued his intense study of the cavern floor.</p><p>"I'm so sorry, Kori, I know this is selfish of me, but to me, you're my <em>sister</em>, and I need you more than I need <em>any </em>girlfriend, wife, or... lover..."</p><p>His gaze finally returned to hers, determination filling them.</p><p>"This isn't that 'best friend' bull crap that Ranma tried to feed Ukyou. I love you, I <em>do</em>, and I could very easily love you like <em>that</em>... But what we have now is special, unique, something that no one can take from us, no matter who either of us might end up with... and I'm just too selfish to give that up so quickly..."</p><p>Starfire felt hot tears begin to gather at the corners of her eyes. She felt so terrible at that moment. How could <em>he </em>possibly believe himself to be the selfish one here? Even an hour ago, she had thought of Ryouga as nothing more than a brother... and yet now here she was, trying to woo his affections for herself. All the things which he claimed to be too selfish to give up, were all the things that she was selfishly willing to sacrifice as a balm to sooth her damaged heart.</p><p>Ryouga obviously misinterpreted her tears. The young man quickly flipped over, enveloping her in a crushing hug of comforting.</p><p>"Please don't cry, Star! I-if that's what you really want... I... I don't know... but – but if it will make you happy, then..."</p><p>She quickly silenced him with a finger to his lips.</p><p>"Cease your speaking, Ryouga. I have been most unfair to you in my actions. Perhaps you are right... perhaps I am more in need of a brother at the moment than anything else as well."</p><p>And just like that, her world seemed to realign, and her guilt and shame vanished to the wind. The pain was still present, but it could not harm her while she was in his arms. His arms would always protect her, no matter what the cause, because that is what brothers did... was it not?</p><p>"Ryouga... I have done something very selfish today, and hopefully you can find it in your heart to forgive me... but you must never believe that it was a mistake. I love you very much, and maybe someday we may be prepared for such a thing... but for now, for right now, I need my little brother, just as you need your big sister."</p><p>Ryouga rolled his eyes in fond amusement, doing everything in his power to hide the many conflicting emotions in his eyes from her. He was correct, they were both in very confusing situations at the moment and proceeding as she had wished would have likely ended in disaster... but she had meant what she said. Though Robin held a large place in her heart, if it was not meant to be, then it was not meant to be... And if Raven could not see what was right in front of her face... then that was a problem of her own devising...</p><p>"Kori... you know I can forgive you for anything... even things where I have absolutely no idea what's going on - like right now - but just so you know, you seriously owe me for this one, because I am <em>very, <strong>very </strong></em>confused right now."</p><p>Starfire smiled widely at his admission. Yes, he would have made a most perfect Tamaranean indeed, her own little Ryond'r. She then giggled, a perfect plan coming to mind.</p><p>"Well, it so happens that I do have a pair of movie tickets in my possession. As my way of apology, I shall allow you to accompany me to the cinema of movie watching!"</p><p>He shot her a flat look.</p><p>"Do I have a choice in the matter?"</p><p>She shook her head energetically.</p><p>"Of course not, my silly little Ryond'r."</p><p>"Huh, Ryond'r?"</p><p>She smiled all the wider.</p><p>"Your new Tamaranean name! Combined from your Japanese and my Tamaranean, it would be translated here as 'Good Fire'... I believe it suits you well."</p><p>Her beloved brother chuckled happily at his new designation, all traces of fear and confusion finally fled from his features.</p><p>"Alright, Kori, alright, you win. Tonight, we'll go see your movie."</p><p>Then, the boy turned back to the cavern, a smile forged of certainty formed on his lips. He then tapped a single finger to the ground; prompting a tiny explosion of rock and dust to burst into the air nearly a dozen yards away.</p><p>"Tomorrow – tomorrow, we restore Terra... I swear it!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>-Three Days Later-</p><p>"Son of a <em>bitch</em>!"</p><p>His irate curse drew a sympathetic sigh from his companion.</p><p>"I understand that you are upset, Ryouga, but how could the male progeny of a female canine possibly be of any assistance to us at this moment?"</p><p>Ryouga wasn't even fazed by the non-sequitur, he'd known the young woman too long to be put off by her minor eccentricities. Instead, he let out a pained groan as he continued his frantic pacing around Terra's statue. Starfire continued to watch his frantic pacing, looking a little perplexed.</p><p>"I just can't believe how <em>stupid </em>I've been! I mean, how did I not realize that was a possibility? <em>Man</em>, am I <em>trying </em>to kill Terra here?"</p><p>The Tamaranean quirked an eyebrow at his ranting.</p><p>"I did not desire to distress your mental stability to such a degree; however, my concern was a valid one. If you are trying to force the reversion of Terra's body from its igneous state back to flesh and blood at a greatly accelerated rate, is it not possible that initiating the process with only her heart could lead to the restoration of that organ before any other-"</p><p>"-And if her heart starts trying to beat when all she has in her veins is gravel, and without any other organs functioning to support it... then if the process is too slow, she could <em>die </em>while I'm trying to <em>save </em>her!" he finished irately.</p><p>He clubbed himself upside the head with a curled fist. Why hadn't <em>he </em>thought of that? He had no idea how fast or slow the process could be.</p><p>"Why not simply activate several points in rapid succession, then?"</p><p>Ryouga rubbed his chin in consideration...</p><p>"It could... no – no, that would be too risky. To do it right, I'd have to inject energy directly into all her major organs, so if I screwed up, even a little, it could kill her. I need to do the Bakusai Tenketsu with absolute perfect precision, not to mention using the exact right amount of ki and trying to match it as close to hers as possible, all at the same time. I'm fairly sure I can do it once, with enough preparation, but to do that at least seven times in a row, in rapid succession? I mean, I've done a rapid fire Bakusai Tenketsu before, but this – this is on a completely different level."</p><p>And so, the two of them continued to circle Terra, Ryouga wandering clockwise, while Starfire orbited counter clockwise. Looks of deep contemplation were etched on both of their respective faces.</p><p>Fifteen minutes later, Starfire's eyes lit up and she spun to face the Lost Boy over Terra's shoulder.</p><p>"I know! We should seek Raven's assistance-"</p><p>"No."</p><p>"But she could help!"</p><p>"No!"</p><p>"You are being unreasonable!"</p><p>"<em>No</em>!"</p><p>"Do you desire twenty of your indigenous currency units?"</p><p>"<strong><em>No</em></strong><em> – </em>wait, <em>what</em>?"</p><p>Starfire's merciless giggles brought his cyclical wandering to an abrupt halt.</p><p>"C'mon, Kori, please just try to concentrate. I'm sure we can figure this out ourselves. We don't need to bring Raven into this."</p><p>Her eyes narrowed dangerously to fire a heated glare in his direction, her dainty fists resting firmly on her hips.</p><p>"Is this reluctance due to your lingering anger towards Raven, or is it motivated by some misplaced desire to impress her?"</p><p>Ryouga scratched his chin for a moment, before shrugging sheepishly.</p><p>"Umm, a little from column A, a little from column B?"</p><p>The Tamaranean let out a weary sigh.</p><p>"Very well, I can see that solving this dilemma is important to you, that and your timely use of the Simpson's quotation have won me over... for now. However, there will come a time when we shall be forced to realize that animated entertainment programs do not contain the answers to all of life's questions."</p><p>He waved dismissively, chuckling in amusement at her latest life lesson. "Yeah, yeah, I know tha-"</p><p>The rest of his reply was cut off by the look that suddenly bloomed on his companion's face. Though few would call Hibiki Ryouga a poet, or a prodigy of the spoken word, all he could think of when he looked upon her was the word 'Epiphany', and it looked like she was most certainly having one.</p><p>"However," she exclaimed excitedly, "This is not one of those times!"</p><p>The girl then flew forward in a flash of orange and purple. He braced himself for a bone crushing hug... except none came. Instead, his head was snapped harshly to the side as one of his bandannas was ripped from his head. Ryouga's eyes snapped open to glare at the headband thief, only to see the unusual sight of her staring intently at the bandanna held in her hands.</p><p>Starfire then looked up to him. "Ryouga, tell me, how was it that you were able to cause your head coverings to attain such rigid sharpness in our battle so long ago?"</p><p>His answer was almost by rote.</p><p>"That's easy. I just infuse them with my ki."</p><p>Her smile widened, brightening the entire cavern with infectious cheer.</p><p>"And how long can they contain the ki which you infuse into them?"</p><p>He shrugged, not sure where she was going with thi-</p><p>Ah ha! Epiphany indeed! He snapped his fingers as realization suddenly flooded over him.</p><p>"Potentially, they can hold the ki as long as I concentrate on them, and then for at least a minute or two after I let them go. It's what lets me throw them like I do."</p><p>Already a plan was forming in his mind, a brilliant plan, a plan that couldn't fail and best of all, it was a simple plan! He was so caught up in his own excitement, that he swept the deceptively light girl up into the air and spun her around.</p><p>"If I can prepare several bandannas-"</p><p>"Or paper wards inscribed with Kanji," Starfire interjected unexpectedly.</p><p>The completely random statement stopped him in mid spin. He looked at her oddly for a moment, before managing to catch the tail end of his train of thought before it could slip away.</p><p>"Ah, yeah, or that. <em>Anyway</em>, if I could prepare a number of them with the exact type and amount of ki, then, in theory, then I could place them over all of Terra's major organs and I could get them all to release their power at the same time."</p><p>He looked into Starfire's bottomless emerald eyes in wonder.</p><p>"Where on <em>earth</em> did you come up with that idea? It's <em>brilliant, </em>Kori!"</p><p>The Tamaranean looked to the floor, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.</p><p>"It – it simply occurred to me. Do you recall the animated program of female empowerment which Beast Boy watches avidly yet refuses to admit to enjoying?"</p><p>Ryouga wracked his brain for a moment, then-</p><p>"Oh yeah! Sailor Moon!"</p><p>She nodded in agreement.</p><p>"I recalled that the raven-haired warrior of love and justice who derives her powers from this system's fourth planet would often wield strips of paper imbued with her spiritual power... not completely unlike what you did with your own clothing."</p><p>He smirked wickedly.</p><p>"Heh, and you said that T.V. didn't have all the answers-"</p><p>It was about that moment that Ryouga realized his hands were still wrapped tightly around the trim alien girl's bare midriff, holding her aloft. Instantly, his face burned red and he snatched his hands away, leaving the Tamaranean floating in the air.</p><p>"Man... this is going to be a little awkward for a bit, isn't it?" he asked morosely.</p><p>Starfire floated back to the floor, a light tinge on her cheeks as well.</p><p>"It need not be. We are both mature individuals-"</p><p>He shot her an <em>extremely </em>dubious look.</p><p>"-in comparison with Beast Boy-"</p><p>Well, that he could agree with.</p><p>"And... and our continued affection is especially important to me. I refuse to let it be ruined so easily; I refuse to let the closeness which has formed between us lessen in any way."</p><p>His dubious look shifted to a merely skeptical one, but she was absolutely right. Starfire was the only family he had (within a thousand miles, at least) and he refused to lose what they had as well. Unfortunately, it would not be as easy as the optimistic female imagined. Until recently, she had been in the same category in his mind that Ukyou resided in: ambiguously female; however, her little stunt had forced him to realize that she was indeed a lovely and desirable young <em>woman</em>.</p><p>It was such a disturbing concept that he had to shake it off physically. He <em>seriously </em>needed to find out what had brought on her strange behavior, if only he could find out who, or what he needed to beat into submission for suddenly thrusting his already fragile world onto such a tenuous and steep precipice. Until then-</p><p>"Alright, Kori, I think we can do this. However, right off the top of my head, I can think of a few things that I'm going to need to pull this off. I can start practicing the technique while you go get them…"</p><p>The Tamaranean nodded hopefully, carefully memorizing the list of items that he began to rattle off.</p><p><em>'Heh</em>,' he thought to himself.</p><p>
  <em>'You'll be free by this time tomorrow, Terra, I promise.’</em>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>-Two days later-</p><p>"<em>Dang it</em>!"</p><p>"<em>Garfield</em>, language."</p><p>Beast Boy shrunk under Kasumi's mildly disapproving gaze, all the while cradling his foot and awkwardly hopping to keep pace with his companions.</p><p>"Sorry, Kasumi. Just stubbed my toe really bad there."</p><p>Raven, following up at the tail end of the procession, rolled her eyes.</p><p>"Beast Boy, you regularly get beaten by super villains and yet you're complaining about a <em>stubbed toe</em>?"</p><p>The changeling glared back at her.</p><p>"Pretty high and mighty coming from the Queen of the paper cuts."</p><p>Raven refused to give him the satisfaction of her blush.</p><p>"That's completely different... ancient tomes have very sharp pages."</p><p>A round of polite chuckles and amused giggles echoed off the walls of the winding tunnel that encapsulated them. It was rare for the hooded Titan to attempt a joke – at least, Beast Boy was fairly sure it had been a joke.</p><p>"So, anyway, any idea why Ryo is draggin' us all down here?" Cyborg directed his question to their silently gliding guide. The cybernetic teen had become their unofficial liaison between the tower and Ryouga and Starfire's little two-person Terra Squad. Considering <em>neither</em> of them had been out of the cave for anything but a sleep for a good five days, it seemed like an appropriate title.</p><p>Heck, the poor duo had missed out on a bank robbery, two hostage situations, and a short visit from Control Freak and his new, Brushogun inspired, anime motif...</p><p>Beast Boy shuddered at that memory. A sailor scout, Control Freak was <strong>not</strong>!</p><p>Anyway, Cyborg's status had also been forced upon him by the fact that, for some reason, when Starfire had come up to the tower to invite them down to Terra's cave, she had gone out of her way to invite everyone <em>but </em>Robin. Something weird was going on, which was par for the course lately, and Beast Boy still had no idea what it was.</p><p>Avidly <em>not </em>looking at Robin, who shrank slightly at the dismissal, Starfire turned to Cyborg to reply.</p><p>"Ryouga believes that we are very close to being prepared for the fortuitous return of our beloved comrade-"</p><p>Beast Boy's ears perked up excitedly at that news.</p><p>"However, there is one step that must be taken before we can initiate our attempt, and that step requires some assistance."</p><p>Cyborg nodded, flush with anticipation.</p><p>"Well alright! Let's get this party started! Our pretty little stick has been a stone for way too long."</p><p>By general consensus of excitement, the group of them eagerly picked up the pace and quickly finished their journey to Terra's cavern. Awaiting them in the spacious hollow was the familiar duo of Terra and Ryouga. The fanged fighter was sitting cross-legged beside the stone beauty, his eyes closed tightly. The second that their Tamaranean Tour Guide floated over the threshold, though, the martial artist's eyes snapped open and he pushed himself up to his feet.</p><p>"Great, you guys are here. Now we can finally get started."</p><p>Beast Boy rushed ahead excitedly.</p><p>"You mean you're gonna bring Terra back now?"</p><p>Ryouga smiled confidently, dropping a hand on the changeling's shoulder.</p><p>"Soon enough. There's just one thing that needs to be done first, but I'm going to need some help to pull it off."</p><p>Robin joined the two of them, inspecting Terra's statue with a critical eye.</p><p>"You've got any assistance we can offer; you don't even need to ask. However, it doesn't look like anything has changed since we were last down here. What exactly do you need our help to do?"</p><p>The Bandanna Clad boy nodded sharply.</p><p>"True enough. We haven't done anything to Terra, yet. Starfire and I have spent the past week or so perfecting the various skills that are going to be needed to restore Terra-"</p><p>To Beast Boy's side, Raven seemed to shrink in on herself for some reason, vanishing even deeper into the shadows of her hood.</p><p>"-and thanks to her quick thinking, we now have a method that I'm confident will restore Terra. Before we can use it, though, we need to remove the one obstacle that is preventing Terra from recovering."</p><p>Beast Boy grumbled, already getting impatient. "Sheesh, Ryo, get to the point already. What do you need us to do?"</p><p>At the changeling's interruption, a somewhat evil smile found its way on to the Lost Boy's face. Ryouga then turned to Kasumi.</p><p>"Kasumi, you and Starfire have the most important job."</p><p>Said Tendo woman's head tilted to the side in an inquisitive manner. She then turned her attention to the Tamaranean, who was now floating just to Beast Boy's other side.</p><p>"I'm pleased to help, but whatever would you need the two of us to do?"</p><p>The emerald shape shifter was curious about that, too. Before he had the chance to vocalize his curiosity, though, Starfire replied far too cheerfully.</p><p>"We have the most pressing task of enforcing immobilization upon Beast Boy."</p><p><em>'Oh</em>,' the changeling thought to himself, <em>'Well, that did sound pretty importa-'</em></p><p>"Wait! <em>Wha-</em>"</p><p>His exclamation was cut off abruptly when the Tamaranean suddenly enveloped him in a gentle, but unbreakable hug, holding him firmly in place. Instinct flared to life and almost instantly the beastly boy began to rail against his captivity.</p><p>"Starfire! <em>Leggo</em>!"</p><p>He writhed and wriggled in her grasp, seconds away from the point of flailing his legs – when he felt another set of arms slide around his shoulders. His struggles stopped as quickly as they started; the changeling turned his head to see that Kasumi was now holding him as well, her shoulders brushing Starfire's. The lovely woman offered him a sympathetic smile.</p><p>"Please don't fight, Garfield. I'm certain that Ryouga and Starfire have a very good reason for this-" The Tendo woman turned her gaze to the Lost Boy. "-Isn't that right, Ryouga?"</p><p>The Hibiki nodded seriously.</p><p>"I need the two of you to hold him-" He then turned back to face the stone girl at his side; the martial artist rested a companionable hand on Terra's narrow shoulder. "-So that I could do this-"</p><p>Abruptly, before Beast Boy even had a chance to react, Ryouga flipped his hand over and delivered a sharp strike to Terra's shoulder. The deceptively small strike landed with a deafening <em>crack </em>and a deep web of cracks began to spread out from the area of impact.</p><p>The emerald shape shifter felt his heart drop down into his shoes and only the physical restraints of his body kept his jaw from following. The shocked gasps and alarmed protests of his companions were all drowned out by the sound of splitting stone ringing through his ears. Only the impossible strength of Starfire and the delicate fragility of Kasumi kept him from losing it on the spot.</p><p>Then, even as Raven stared in mute shock, Robin settled back to critically observe the unfolding drama and Cyborg made ready to deck the itinerant martial artist, Ryouga flipped his hand over again and with all the care of an archaeologist at the dig of a lifetime, gently brushed away the shattered and crumbling fragments of stone-</p><p>Revealing the dull, weathered steel of Terra's shoulder armor lying right beneath the thin shell.</p><p>". . ."</p><p>". . ."</p><p>". . ."</p><p>Beast Boy felt all the strength in his legs evaporate like the morning dew, only Starfire's caring embrace kept him upright. Pure relief and sheer confusion warred for dominance in his mind, leaving him unable to do anything but stare in awe.</p><p>Before him, Cyborg stumbled to a stop, looking every bit as confused as Beast Boy himself. Raven continued to stare, though the unmistakable look of her oft-seen annoyance was creeping on to her face. To his side, Kasumi let out a breath that he hadn't even realized she'd been holding in – it reminded him to start breathing again himself.</p><p>Of them all, Robin was the first to recover. In fact, the thoughtful look on the masked boy's face made the changeling wonder if Robin had even been surprised at all by the turn of events.</p><p>"Impressive, but were the shock tactics really necessary? We had already known that the metal of Terra's suit had survived the transformation-"</p><p>"<em>The heck <strong>we</strong> did</em>!" Beast Boy surged forward but was held firmly in place by his captors.</p><p>Robin shot him an apologetic look before continuing. "It's just that we didn't see how that could help us, so we left it alone, rather than risk accidentally harming Terra."</p><p>Ryouga nodded slowly, but a confused look quickly settled across his features.</p><p>"Wait, if you two knew, then why was Cyborg getting ready to clock me?" The fanged fight pointed accusingly to the cybernetic teen in question.</p><p>The Titanium Titan offered up an apologetic shrug. "What? You freaked me right the heck out, Ryo. It slipped my mind, so sue me."</p><p>Raven glided forward to join the conversation, a look of not so mild annoyance showing even through the shadows of her hood.</p><p>"And would it really have been too much for you to <em>explain </em>what you were doing, instead of shocking Beast Boy half to death?"</p><p>At Beast Boy's side, Starfire nodded sympathetically. "I had suggested such a course of action, however-"</p><p>"-However," Ryouga stepped in, "I figured that, rather than spend half the night explaining and trying to convince you all that it was almost perfectly safe-"</p><p>"<strong>Almost</strong>?"</p><p>Ryouga rolled his eyes in the direction of the irate shape shifter.</p><p>"-We'd just get it over with so that we can get around to actually <em>saving </em>Terra. You know the old saying, 'It's easier to get forgiveness than permission.'"</p><p>Beast Boy's eyes narrowed dangerously.</p><p>"Wanna bet?"</p><p>This time, the Lost Boy had the audacity to scoff at him.</p><p>"Yeah, we'll see how vengeful you are this time tomorrow, when you're eating pizza with Terra back in the tower."</p><p>Before the changeling could respond, or even come up with a response, Robin took charge of the discussion once again.</p><p>"That's enough. Look, what's done is done. Though it was reckless, Ryouga is the foremost expert on the subject here, and I happen to agree with him. Terra sacrificed herself to save us, so I don't want her trapped down here one more <em>second </em>than necessary."</p><p>The masked Titan then turned back to Ryouga.</p><p>"So, fill us in on the situation as you see it, and what we can do to help."</p><p>Ryouga gazed across the small group gathered before him, before nodding to himself.</p><p>"Alright, to catch you all up, Starfire and I have developed a technique that should let us bring Terra back from her petrified state."</p><p>Starfire, finally releasing Beast Boy, smiled proudly, her cheeks tingeing a light red.</p><p>"Truly, I did little more than act as the echoing length of planed timber for Ryouga's own analysis."</p><p>Of them all, only Cyborg had the nerve to ask the question that was on all their minds.</p><p>"Ah, you mean the 'sounding board'?"</p><p>"Yes, that as well!"</p><p>". . ."</p><p>A quick group head shake later, and everyone was back on topic.</p><p>"<em>Anyway</em>," Ryouga continued, "It's pretty much just a revised version of the technique that Cologne used when she examined Terra. The only difference is that I learned about something that she didn't, so I know why her attempt didn't work."</p><p>The Lost Boy, obviously too impatient for a question-and-answer period, quickly pointed to the metallic shoulder cover adorning Terra.</p><p>"The reason Cologne's technique didn't work, and the reason that Terra hasn't restored herself already, is this suit." Ryouga nodded curtly in Raven's direction. "Raven told me that the suit had somehow bonded to her, assimilated into her skin, and that she would have never been able to remove it. Well, I think that's why she isn't recovering. Her body is trying to heal itself, but the invasion of the suit into her body is interfering in several key ki points and is preventing that from happening."</p><p>A thoughtful finger resting on his chin, Robin nodded in agreement. "And this presents us with a perfect opportunity to remove the suit, as well. We're much less likely to harm Terra in her current state than if we tried to remove it when she was flesh and blood."</p><p>"Exactly, however, since I have no idea how far the suit has assimilated into her, I'm going to need Cyborg's and Raven's help to remove it." Ryouga's voice rose with each word of his explanation, it was obvious how excited he was at the prospect of this endeavor. He then turned back to Terra and placed both of his hands, ever so delicately, on the edges of the metal spaulder. With the deft sureness of a surgeon, the martial artist then lifted the piece of metal free from its stone moorings with only a minor splintering of Terra's stone encrusted bandages.</p><p>After moving the piece only a quarter of an inch (after nearly two minutes of work), he gestured everyone to move in with a nod of his head.</p><p>Beast Boy gently broke free from Kasumi's supportive embrace to scurry forward. Ahead of him, Cyborg, Robin, and Raven were already examining what Ryouga had revealed. Changing into an emerald sparrow to get a closer look (and not accidentally break anything) the changeling alighted on Terra's shoulder and peeked under the lifted piece of armor.</p><p><em>'Ahhh</em>...' So, that was what Ryouga had meant. Sprouting from the base of the spaulder were countless strands of gleaming silver, like a mass of tiny steel roots, all burrowing into the stone that had once been Terra's silky soft skin. Beast Boy looked up to Ryouga, only to see the boy sporting a nervous bead of sweat rolling down his forehead and the tip of his tongue poking out in concentration.</p><p>Without moving his eyes for a second, Ryouga resumed his explanation.</p><p>"Cyborg, I need you to use your scanners to track how many of those wire things there are, and how far into Terra they go. I don't want to leave <em>anything </em>behind if I don't have to." The Lost Boy's eyes then flashed to Raven for a second.</p><p>"Raven," he began tersely.</p><p>The violet eyed Titan shrank slightly at his tone but replied just the same.</p><p>"Yes, Ryouga?"</p><p>She wasn't quite able to keep all the emotion out of her voice apparently, as her sullen reply drew Ryouga's eyes to her once more. The fanged fighter's eyes lingered far too long for Beast Boy's frazzled nerves, until Ryouga let out a tiny sigh.</p><p>"Raven-" he started over in an apologetic tone, "I really need your help on this. I know about all the training you've done with Cologne to control your powers, so I'm sure that you can do this. Heck, you're probably the only one on the planet that can. I know I'm asking a lot from you, but can you use your power to somehow protect and strengthen all those wires? I'm afraid that if I tried it without your help, most of them would just snap and get stuck inside her."</p><p>Raven's eyes widened at his request. Rather than balk, though, the young sorceress turned her critical gaze to the item in question. From his perch on Terra's shoulder, Beast Boy could almost see the reflection of hundreds of gleaming filaments in her glistening violet eyes.</p><p>"It would be unlike anything I've ever tried before... The probes are so fine and there are so many of them..."</p><p>She turned back to face the Lost Boy.</p><p>"Do you really think I can do this?"</p><p>He nodded confidently. "There isn't anyone else I would trust more to do this."</p><p>His supportive gesture was joined by Cyborg, Robin, and Starfire.</p><p>"C'mon, Rae, you know you got the mad skills to pull this off!" crowed Cyborg.</p><p>"What better way to put all of your training to the test, than in saving a friend?" added Robin.</p><p>Starfire simply crushed her in a supportive hug, whispering something into the girl's ear that was too quiet for Beast Boy to hear. Whatever it was, though, the effect was immediate. Gently breaking from of the Tamaranean's bone crushing embrace, Raven nodded slowly.</p><p>"Very well. I'll do everything in my power to restore Terra, just as we all promised."</p><p>With that, the dark sorceress laid her hand on Terra's spaulder, resting her wrist across Ryouga's to steady herself. So serious were both individuals, that neither even blushed at the incidental contact. Cyborg nodded as well, lifting his left arm before him. The display embedded in its surface flashed to life.</p><p>On the tiny screen, upside down from the changeling's point of view, a three-dimensional wire frame of Terra's body appeared, rotating slowly. With several deft taps of Cyborg's finger, the display ceased its rotation and zoomed in to the shoulder in question. Several more quick taps brought the metallic shoulder covering to life in flashing yellow, clearly highlighting their prey.</p><p>"Man," Cyborg grumbled, still typing away, "Those filaments are <em>tiny, </em>no wonder they didn't register on my earlier scans. Here, let me try a few –"</p><p>The cybernetic teen's contemplation was cut off as his eyes widened in shock. Displayed on the screen, a mass of tiny yellow lines extended from the shoulder piece and down into Terra. From there, to Beast Boy's dismay, the tiny wires spread out into a complex filigree that ran down most of her arm, across her chest, up her neck...</p><p>"Whoa..."</p><p>Sparrow Beast Boy nodded in slow agreement with his buddy's statement. Robin let out a low whistle, while Ryouga and Raven both grimaced in unison.</p><p>After several moments of simply boggling at the monumental, yet infinitely minute task before them, Raven finally took in a deep breath, steeling her resolve, and began.</p><p>With glacial speed, the familiar ebony aura of Raven's dark power spread out across the surface of the metallic shoulder guard, enveloping it completely. Beast Boy ducked his head, intent on watching the progress. On the underside of the armor piece, the inky black aura began to coat the fine filaments at an agonizing rate.</p><p>Behind him, Raven's eyes began to glow with the white luminescence of the incredible concentration required for the task. Even though she had just started, a bead of sweat was already forming on her brow.</p><p>Back before him, the darkness of her power began to flow down the countless probes and vanish into the unyielding hardness of Terra's stone skin.</p><p>It was over ten minutes of absolute silence before Raven finally broke it with a relieved gasp.</p><p>"I – I think I have it all... start whenever you're ready, Ryouga."</p><p>The martial artist nodded, then, with an impressive display of incredible strength and amazing control, he began to lift the piece away from Terra's shoulder.</p><p>"Easy, Ryo, <em>easy </em>now." A pregnant silence hung in the air, until- "... Alright, I'm starting to see movement... Ah yeah, it's <em>working</em>."</p><p>Beast Boy let out a tiny whistle of a sparrow sigh, unable to even contemplate the sheer amount of relief he was feeling at that moment. After that, the changeling, like the rest of the captive audience, settled in to watch the show...</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Raven let out a thankful sigh as Starfire very gently mopped the beading sweat from her brow. Not that she could even see her closest female companion now. Her entire world had long since dissolved away into an abstract plane of sensory perception that most mortals would never even imagine. Vague sensations of concepts beyond normal comprehension translated themselves into colors, flowing currents and swirling eddies of life force, the static matrices of the cavern's ambient energy, the kaleidoscopic clouds representing the mixture of concern and anxiety that all her friends were experiencing...</p><p>And, at the center of it all, at the very center of her being, the endless mass of metallic strands that were woven so expertly through the skin of their traitorous, wondrous friend. As she had once told Cyborg, she placed a small part of herself into a thing whenever she used her powers... and now she was feeling stretched very thin indeed. Hundreds of wires, consisting of thousands of feet of length, she controlled them all, encompassed them all, <em>was </em>them all...</p><p>And, quite frankly, it was almost too much for her mind to bear.</p><p>Still, the end was in sight. After nearly an hour of continuous work, of intense and perfect concentration, she could feel the end was close. Most of the probes had already been pulled free, allowing her to focus more of her power on the longer, more intrusive probes, making sure that they survived the resistance of being forcibly pulled from their stone moorings.</p><p>Just... one... more... inch-</p><p>Raven let out an explosive moan of exhaustion as she felt the very tip of the very last filament pull free from Terra's skin. A moment later, she was falling backwards – right into the waiting arm of Ryouga. It took her a moment of blinking her eyes to adjust her sight back to the world of reflected light that her eyes were designed to perceive. She looked up, then, into the equally exhausted looking (which confused her, since the boy was like a living power reactor of endurance), but widely smiling face of Ryouga. There was a light sheen of sweat on the young man's face which glistened in the dim light of the cavern.</p><p>Ryouga lifted the piece of Terra's suit which they had just removed, a small forest of wire filaments dangling from its undersurface, ranging in length from an inch to nearly two feet in length. The look of pride on his face as they examined the artifact was almost worth the pain of removing it.</p><p>That had, quite honestly, been the most gruelling hour of Raven's life.</p><p>Which, of course, must have been the exact reason that Beast Boy chose that moment to jump down and resume his elfin form.</p><p>"Alright guys, <em>you did it</em>! That's one down and only about fourteen or so more to go!"</p><p>Raven and Ryouga both chose that moment to display their hidden talents for multilingual cursing.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>-Two Days Later-</p><p>Cyborg let out a long sigh as he leaned back against a convenient stalagmite... or stalactite, whichever one came out of the floor, <em>damn geology</em>! Anyway, giving his head a shake, Cyborg took a quick glance around the cavern. Robin was leaning against the same rock column that he was, almost shoulder to shoulder (or shoulder to elbow in Robin's case) with him. On the far side of the room, Raven was sitting on the floor, resting back against one of the cool cavern walls. It was obvious the poor girl was utterly exhausted and recovering from their latest extraction.</p><p>Heck, he was mentally exhausted just from monitoring the operation; he couldn't even imagine what she must have been feeling at that moment.</p><p>Kasumi was absent, much to his disappointment. The older woman had offered to run out and pick them up some lunch and it would likely be some time before she returned.</p><p>Back in the center of the chamber, Ryouga, Beast Boy and Starfire were gathered around Terra's statue. While the latter two looked to be mostly just hovering around anxiously, it looked like the Lost Boy was taking advantage of Raven's recuperation period and was intently examining the final piece of armor that they had to remove. Judging by the worried look on the guy's face, Ryouga obviously didn't think it would be an easy task.</p><p>It was about then, that Ryouga leaned back letting out a defeated sigh.</p><p>"I'm sorry, guys, I just can't do this. No matter how I look at it, the blood loss from removing this piece of armor will be dangerous, possibly even fatal!"</p><p>Beast Boy's shocked gasp wasn't the only one, just the loudest.</p><p>"<em>What</em>? You mean, if you remove the last piece of the suit, Terra will <em>bleed to death</em>!"</p><p>Ryouga looked at the boy oddly for a moment.</p><p>"What? No, not her, <em>me</em>!"</p><p>Ryouga pointed dramatically to the final piece of Terra's suit which needed to be removed...</p><p>To the gently curved plate which covered Terra's modest breasts.</p><p>"There's no way that I can remove <em>that</em>!"</p><p>Needless to say, everyone's reactions to <em>that </em>declaration were immediate and diverse.</p><p>Raven let out a disgusted groan from her seated position across the room.</p><p>Cyborg immediately burst out into laughter, then leaned towards his immediate neighbor whispering quietly, "Seriously, what's Ryo talkin' 'bout? Even <em>you </em>got more in the chest department than <em>she </em>does."</p><p>Amazingly, his off the cuff joke drew a quiet snicker from the masked vigilante, at least until Raven shot a suspicious glare in their direction. It was obvious that she hadn't heard what they'd said, but that lack of evidence would never hold up in a female court of law.</p><p>Beast Boy, on the other hand, handled the news <em>slightly </em>differently.</p><p>"<em>W-wha</em>? <em>You jerk! <strong>I'm gonna kill you</strong></em>!"</p><p>The emerald teen tackled the fanged martial artist to the ground with all the force his ropey body could generate. The two guys rolled around on the stone floor, Ryouga laughing uproariously as Beast Boy did his futile best to choke the life from him.</p><p>Starfire simply watched the spectacle, an uncharacteristically flat expression on her rather unamused face.</p><p>As that insanity unfurled, Raven rose to her feet and floated over to the pair of stalagmite leaners. She still maintained her suspicious glare, but it looked like her annoyance at Ryouga and Beast Boy was outweighing that at the moment.</p><p>"I have officially lost all hope that I may have once had in the male sex. You are <em>all</em> beyond help."</p><p>Cyborg and Robin both took a moment to consider her words... then nodded in unison.</p><p>"Heh, took ya that long to figure out, Rae?"</p><p>"It really is hard to refute with <em>that </em>going on, like, ten feet away," Robin added, wearing an amused little grin.</p><p>The hooded Titan rolled her violet eyes, apparently disappointed that they hadn't put up a better argument (or an argument at all, really).</p><p>Behind them, Ryouga let out another bark of laughter as Beast Boy rolled them over several more feet.</p><p>"How can you <em>joke at a time like <strong>this</strong></em>?"</p><p>"C'mon, Beast Boy, give it up! You aren't strong enough to strangle me!" Ironically, the only thing choking Ryouga's words was his own laughter.</p><p>"Not until you <em>feel it</em>!" Beast Boy then turned to the observing Tamaranean. "<em>Star</em>! Help me out!"</p><p>Starfire took a moment to consider the request, then gave a minor shrug and dived into the fray.</p><p>"Wait – <em>Kori, don't</em> – <strong><em>Gaauughk</em></strong>!"</p><p>Raven watched the display for several seconds before turning back to the two of them.</p><p>"I take it back-"</p><p>"This entire <em>dimension </em>is beyond help."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>With a clatter of metal, the last and final piece of Terra's infamous suit dropped to the stone floor. Ryouga let out a sigh of relief as he stared at Terra's armor-less figure, now adorned with a large, fluffy towel draped over her shoulders. Thankfully (once they had finally dragged Beast Boy and Starfire off his nearly asphyxiated corpse) someone had thought to go and fetch something to preserve the slight girl's decency.</p><p><em>'Sheesh'</em>, that would teach him to try to cut the tension during an overtly serious moment.</p><p>To his side, Raven let out an even more exhausted sigh of relief. He smiled weakly as the cloaked female listed slightly to lean against his side. He could hardly begrudge her the support considering that she had done pretty much all the heavy lifting for the entire process of removing Terra's suit. He doubted even Cologne herself could have pulled off the feat of sheer will power and control that Raven had demonstrated over the past days.</p><p>She really was an amazing young woman.</p><p>Still, as nice as the companionable contact was, he still had a job to do. Hopefully, after the hell they had just gone through, it would be the <em>easy </em>part. With great regret, Ryouga gently placed his hands on Raven's shoulders and guided her over to rest on Beast Boy. Neither one looked overly happy with the arrangement, but thankfully the former was too tired to complain about it openly.</p><p>"Alright, Star, do you have the wards?"</p><p>The Tamaranean in question floated forward quickly, nodding in the affirmative. The young alien then pulled a short stack of paper strips from behind her back. For some reason, the strips had the kanji for 'Breaking Point' written very neatly on them. Ryouga stared at her oddly for a moment, before shrugging.</p><p>Cyborg's curiosity wasn't so quickly dismissed.</p><p>"Um, Ryo? What the heck is with the scrap paper collection? You making a Papier-mâché Terra?"</p><p>Ryouga looked to the small handful of wards, then up to his erstwhile sister, then finally over to the curious cyborg.</p><p>"...just... don't ask."</p><p>With that, the bandanna clad martial artist turned his attention back to Terra's frozen form. Unfortunately, he was going to have to move the towel for this part of the operation, but there was simply no avoiding it. Even worse, if he was going to find the correct Breaking Points, most notably the ki point of Terra's heart, he was going to be forced to survey that... <em>area </em>of Terra quite intently.</p><p>Why did the Gods hate him so?</p><p>He turned back to look at his gathered audience. All around him, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Kasumi, Raven, Robin, and Starfire all watched intently.</p><p>"Ummm, you guys might all want to turn around... or something. I kinda have to move that towel for a bit..."</p><p>Immediately, Beast Boy's face went red and he spun around. Cyborg and Robin simply shrugged, apparently not that concerned... at least until the <em>other </em>females present set their glares on them. Roughly five seconds later, the three other males were shepherded to the far end of the cavern.</p><p>Oh, how Ryouga envied them.</p><p>With that rather depressing thought in mind, Ryouga set about his grim duty (and hoped to whatever god out there that didn't have it out for him, that Ranma <em>never </em>heard about this, <strong>ever</strong>).</p><p>Asides from the obvious, and enormous, discomfort factor, the work was rather meticulous. First, he found the ki points in Terra's meridians which were tied to her major organs: Brain, Liver, Gall Bladder, Spleen, Lungs, Stomach, Bladder, Small Intestine, Large Intestine, Kidneys and finally her Heart. Sure, the Brain wasn't one of the official ones, but he figured it couldn't hurt to do it anyway.</p><p>Next, he very carefully took one of the paper wards that Starfire had prepared for him and used his iron cloth technique to infuse his ki into it. With utmost care, he placed his free hand to the cavern floor, trying to make his own ki as earth-like as possible as he let it flow into the slip of paper. After days of intense training, the sensation of his own ki was almost alien to him, so much heavier, denser than it had been, but not in any way associated with any of his emotions.</p><p>With a flick of his wrist, the paper ward straightened out with all the rigidness of a steel playing card, its corners almost gleaming with deadly intent.</p><p><em>'Yes</em>.' He could feel it, it felt so right. He then reached out an expectant hand to his lovely assistant. Predicting his need, Starfire handed him the long, thin shard of wood which he needed. Using a small surge of aura, he increased the strength of the glorified toothpick and stabbed it straight through the ward and precisely into the ki point over Terra's heart. Much like Kunou's bokken, the wooden implement impaled the stone without even the slightest resistance.</p><p>He then quickly withdrew all his energy from the wooden acupuncture needle, not wanting to disrupt the perfect balance of ki that he had infused into the ward. Once that was done, he repeated the process with the next organ, and the next, and the next. All the while maintaining enough concentration on each ward to prevent it from releasing its energy too early.</p><p>It was, he imagined, a very, <em>very </em>pale imitation of the ordeal that Raven had had to endure to use her power to remove Terra's suit.</p><p>Finally, after a good fifteen minutes of work, it was finally done. He stood back to examine his handy work. Only blushing slightly at the sight of a topless Terra with nearly a dozen paper wards pinned to her body, he was satisfied that he was as ready as he was ever going to get.</p><p>"Ryouga, whatever are the wooden sticks for?" asked a curious Kasumi.</p><p>Keeping both his eyes and his concentration solely on Terra, he replied quietly.</p><p>"They should act as channels for the ki in the wards when I activate them. If I had just placed the wards directly on Terra, the ki would just spread out ineffectively, this will force it all directly into her meridians... in theory, anyway."</p><p>He was vaguely aware of Raven moving to stand at his side. She, too, was intently studying Terra's form.</p><p>"So, you really think this will work?" she asked seriously.</p><p>He grinned a humorless grin.</p><p>"There's only one way to find out –"</p><p>Ryouga clasped his hands before him, extending the first two fingers of each hand upwards and curling the rest into a tight half-fist. Gathering all his will, the master martial artist focused all his concentration on the eleven ki charged wards before him</p><p>"<em>Bakusai Tenketsu</em>!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The young woman felt strange, disoriented... and most notably, stiff as a board! The last thing she could remember was... was fire – fire and stone. It had been so hot, so painful, so bright... and then nothing...</p><p>And yet here she was.</p><p>Unsure of what was happening, she forced her eyes to open. What should have been the simplest act in the world felt akin to performing one of the labors of Hercules himself. It took almost more energy than she felt she possessed to flicker her eyelids open – and when she did, her confusion only increased.</p><p>For a moment, all she saw was a blur of colors. She blinked rapidly several times, dispelling the discomforting inability to focus. Her efforts were not without reward, as they revealed several figures standing before her. She didn't have time to make any mental connections between the faces of the flame haired and violet haired females, though, as all the energy she had used to open her eyes had apparently been stolen directly from her legs.</p><p>The narrow limbs that held her upright immediately began to buckle under her own meager weight, as if she had been trying to support the entire weight of the world for just a second longer than Atlas would have recommended. Then she was falling forward with all the weightless grace of an autumn leaf.</p><p>Thankfully, something stopped her imminent collision with the Earth. She felt a pair of strong arms lift her from the ground and looked up into the face of her rescuer.</p><p>Something was very strange to her, at that moment. The face that she looked into was the face of a perfect stranger, lacking even the hint of recognition that the flame haired and violet haired females triggered in the back of her mind. Whoever it was that was now holding her in his arms, it was someone that she was certain she had never laid eyes on before...</p><p>And yet, for the first time that the Superhero known to the world as Terra could recall...</p><p>She felt like she had finally come home...</p><p>And then the darkness consumed her...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>He continued his trek, walking carefully through the verdant plain, ever alert. Despite the lush beauty of the rolling grasslands which surrounded him, with breathtaking swathes of flowers tantalizing the eye and the occasional tree offering shade, he knew that enemies could literally appear from nowhere if he wasn't careful.</p><p>He was almost at his destination, though - almost at the meeting place.</p><p>"Ahhh..." He breathed a sigh of relief when he finally spotted the monolith which his cavalcade of companions traditionally used to locate one another. As he closed in, his crimson robes, trimmed with fabric of glittering gold rustling through the tall grass, he could see that one of his companions was already present.</p><p>Though most would have hesitated nervously at the imposing sight of his teammate, he strode forward with nary a pause. The person before him, if indeed the term 'person' applied, towered over him, easily topping eight feet. The pair of horns that tipped the beast's shaggy, bovine head added nearly another two feet to its already intimidating height. Though, considering the intensely muscled frame of the monster, with arms as thick as his waist and hooves of chiselled obsidian... not to mention the wicked looking double-bladed axe at its side, the horns weren't all <em>that </em>imposing.</p><p>Unfortunately, for all the walking mountain of muscles' immense strength and boundless ferocity, the glowing words hanging above the Tauren's head revealing his name to be: 'IFraggedUrMom', would forever prevent anyone from taking him seriously.</p><p>The massive minotaur waved a meaty hand in greeting as it noticed his approach.</p><p>"Yo, Mousse, long time no see!"</p><p>Mousse, or as he was known in this realm, 'Death_Raven, Blood Elf Sorcerer Supreme', nodded in reply. He had, as of recently, considered changing his name to Steel-Mallard, but wasn't sure how. Certainly, Death_Raven was an excellent name, but he was no longer so comfortable with it, considering why he had chosen it. Luckily, 'HeWhoPlansToMurderRaven,' had already been taken, so he'd settled for the more innocuous title.</p><p>Meh, he'd live with it.</p><p>"Hail, mighty and noble Tauren. It has been many moons since last we parted ways," Death_Raven finally replied. He suppressed his smirk as much as possible, since he knew how much Gizmo hated it when people spoke 'In Character'.</p><p>"<em>Oh</em>, don't even start with that RP crap, Mousse! I'm here to splatter things with tree trunks, not pretend to be some namby pamby fairy from another world."</p><p>Sorcerer Mousse shook his head slowly, smiling helplessly. "You've never quite grasped the spirit of the 'role' playing part of the game, have you, Giz?"</p><p>The Tauren waved in disgust. "What's to know? You roll the dice and stuff happens. This game just cuts out the useless dice and paper junk."</p><p>The Blood Elf's smile flowed into a condescending /smirk. "You're absolutely right. We wouldn't want anyone using their <em>imagination</em>s. Heaven forbid."</p><p>"Pffft. Who needs imagination when you got a fifty-six inch HD screen hooked up to a computer with enough RAM to lay siege to a good sized castle?"</p><p>"<em>Please </em>tell me you two aren't going on about <em>that </em>again."</p><p>The Tauren and the Blood Elf both turned in response to the pleasant, though not at all lyrical voice of the Night Elf that casually strolled around the monolith. True to the female's nature, she went unseen until she wished it otherwise.</p><p>Naomi_Alicia_Benton, Seventeenth level Rogue Extraordinaire flowed across the distance, her ebon cloak doing more accentuating than concealing by far. The sly Night Elf gave the two of them a quick once over before a rare, genuine smile graced her lips.</p><p>"It's good to see you again, Mousse... such as it is, anyways."</p><p>Sorcerer Mousse nodded fondly. "Tell me about it. Heh, you can probably imagine my surprise at my old HIVE communicator suddenly ringing in the middle of the night. I honestly never thought I'd hear from you again after you and your boys went rogue... no pun intended."</p><p>Rogue Nabiki rolled her eyes. "As funny as usual Mousse, i.e.: Not at all. Honestly, I hadn't really planned on keeping too many ties to the past either, but after getting that message from Jinx that she was heading our way, I was suddenly inspired to play again."</p><p>Warrior Gizmo chuckled madly. "It'll be good to see the old scarecrow again. Say, you think the whole crew will show?"</p><p>The Blood Elf shrugged doubtfully. "I wouldn't get my hopes up. I'm surprised <em>I </em>made it on, considering my schedule, and I can hardly imagine Jinx has a steady internet connection with what she's doing."</p><p>Their Night Elf leader leaned towards him, obviously interested. "Reeeaally? And what exactly <em>is </em>your schedule lately? And how exactly do you know what Jinx is doing with her time again?"</p><p>Sorcerer Mousse tugged at his collars, sweating fireballs. <em>Damn woman</em>! Could he not even make minor slips without her picking up on them?</p><p>"Umm... ah – I <em>don't </em>know what she's doing. I mean, we all saw her leave with you, but she obviously isn't with you now, so who <em>knows </em>what she could be doing?" He ended with a few weak chuckles.</p><p>Rogue Nabiki shot him a look that promised she would pry his darkest secrets from the very depths of his soul with those rusty hooks he had planned to use on Raven, but that she didn't feel like it at the moment. He shuffled a little closer to the towering Tauren, feeling much less fearful of the potential Happy Meal than the mercenary woman before him.</p><p>"Hey, speak of the devil!" boomed the Tauren Warrior.</p><p>The minotaur pointed excitedly to the east, indicating a new figure approaching their position. The figure soon resolved itself into the graceful, flowing form of a blue skinned female humanoid, made all the more alluring for her obvious inhumanity. The familiar Draenei Priestess waved excitedly as she closed in on their position.</p><p>"Hey, Guys!" cried the Priestess labelled 'Hecate'. A moment later, she joined their circle, smile positively beaming before she latched onto the Tauren's arm in a crushing embrace... or, in this case, the complete opposite of that.</p><p>"Hey, Giz! It's been way too long."</p><p>The large Warrior blushed right through his shaggy coat, rubbing the back of his neck at the overly mushy greeting. Hecate then spun gracefully back to the center of the gang.</p><p>"So, did you guys miss me?" the Priestess asked teasingly.</p><p>Sorcerer Mousse scratched his chin, chuckling to himself. "Four or five times, if I recall, Jinx."</p><p>Priestess Jinx stuck her tongue out in his direction before giggling impishly. "It'll be a lot more fun hanging out now that you aren't out to kill me, or that Shampoo hussy isn't around to get in the way."</p><p>The haughty Blood Elf prepared to retort to the sorceress' – um, Priestess' <em>'Hussy'</em> accusation, if only by rote, when the Roguish Nabiki seemed to literally materialize between them.</p><p>"What's this I hear? Big mean Mousse trying to kill cute little Jinx? That sounds like a pretty neat trick for someone that hasn't seen her since the Academy..."</p><p><em>Oh crap</em>! It felt like his gold trimmed collar was hell bent on strangling him right then and there. Of all the people in the world, Nabiki was the <em>last </em>one he wanted to be able to connect him back to Luthor. Even with his new salary, there was no way he'd be able to afford it.</p><p>Seductively, the Night Elf sidled up between the Sorcerer and the Priestess. "Now, where do you suppose something like that could have happened?"</p><p>The Blood Elf's mind was racing now, his overtaxed brain straining for a suitable, believable lie, when-</p><p>"Oh, it's no big deal, Biki. Me and Happi swung by Japan for a few weeks of training. One of our raids happened to be through Shampoo's dresser. To be honest, I was surprised there was actually any underwear in her room to steal-"</p><p>"<em>Hey</em>!"</p><p>"Needless to say," Priestess Jinx continued, ignoring his outburst. "When the inevitable fight happened, it was me and Happi versus Mousse and Shampoo, so you can imagine how proud he must be of <em>that </em>little encounter."</p><p>To the Sorcerer's eternal relief, the Rogue named Naomi_Alicia_Benton nodded in agreement, apparently buying the blue skinned Draenei's story.</p><p>Feeling a little emboldened, the Blood Elf shrugged. "I can honestly say that I wish more people defeated Shampoo and I like Jinx did."</p><p>The Priestess giggled shamelessly at the memory.</p><p>Which was about the time that Warrior Gizmo groaned loudly, out of the blue. "Sheesh! Are you pit-munchers done blabbing yet? I'm here to play, so let's go!"</p><p>To the Blood Elf's side, the Draenei looked around inquisitively. "But we're still down one. Isn't he coming?"</p><p>Rogue Nabiki shrugged helplessly. "I sent the message. Whether he got it or not, that's anyone's guess."</p><p>Priestess Jinx pouted cutely. "Awww, but it just won't be the same without him."</p><p>"Nay! It most assuredly would not, fair Maiden of the Cloth!"</p><p>The quartet turned as one to greet the final member of their team striding proudly through the verdant field to join them. The dashing male's silver armor gleamed in the sun and the bejeweled broadsword that hung easily from his back glittered like a thousand tiny stars. The glowing title above his head named him 'Miyam0t0_Mu5a5hi'.</p><p>A moment later, the majestic Human was among them and he gallantly removed the massive, winged helm from his head, revealing chiselled, aristocratic features.</p><p>"Well met my..." The Human took a moment to regard them all. "...my not entirely noble compatriots. Miyamoto Musashi, Eighteenth level Paladin of the Holy Light and Rising Star of the Alliance has arrived."</p><p>Rogue Nabiki smiled, obviously despite herself. "I have to admit, I'm surprised you actually came out, Kunou-baby.</p><p>"Yeah, what's up with that, Tatie? I'd heard from Biki that you'd gone hero on us," Priestess Jinx asked curiously.</p><p>"Indeed, my noble personage has joined the illustrious legion of those who would protect our fair world. Thusly, you can imagine my surprise when, scarcely even a week since last my teammates and I faced Nabiki and her minions-"</p><p>"Hey!"</p><p>"-in battle, I didst receive her request to partake of this most entertaining past time. Indeed, I honestly know not why I even retained the communicator of my villainous past, in retrospect."</p><p>Sorcerer Mousse chuckled easily. "Heh, are you sure you should be here, Kunou? Isn't gaming with your arch nemesis a conflict of interest?"</p><p>Paladin Kunou waved off his concern. "Bah! What know I of such lawyer speak? As long as we retain a discreet line betwixt our professional lives and our personal lives, I see little harm in such a virtual endeavor."</p><p>"Exactly!" the Draenei agreed emphatically. "I mean, just cuz I'm not exactly a nice girl doesn't mean I can't hang out with heroes, does it?"</p><p>Rogue Nabiki smirked evilly. "If by <em>heroes</em>, you mean <em>Ryouga</em>, and if by <em>hang out</em> you mean <em>make out</em>, then it's all good."</p><p>'Hecate's' scandalized protest was drowned out by the uproarious laughter of her companions.</p><p>Finally, the Blood Elf Sorcerer put out a hand to try to stop the laughter. "Okay, okay. I think we've all had enough fun at the expense of Jinx's fang fetish-"</p><p>"Hey!"</p><p>"-But why don't we get down to business?... Speaking of which, what was it we were going to do again?"</p><p>Immediately, everyone turned to the lovely Night Elf who served as their (Behind the scenes) leader. The smile on her face let them all know that she knew exactly what the plan was.</p><p>"Alright, we got our work cut out for us on this one, so it's a good thing you actually showed up, Kunou."</p><p>The Human Paladin's chest swelled with pride.</p><p>"Yeah, no one draws Aggro like Kunou," chirped the massive Tauren Warrior.</p><p>Sorcerer Mousse shrugged. "That's Kunou for you, always finding uses for his real-world talents."</p><p>"Do you mock me, servant of evil?"</p><p>"No, no... it's scarcely necessary."</p><p>"<em>Churlish knave-</em>"</p><p>"Okay, boys, that enough," Rogue Nabiki cut in, "Now, we're after the Zodiac Gloves for Jinx's Priestess, which means we have to complete the 'Look to the Stars' quest. Gizmo?"</p><p>The mighty Tauren strode forward. "Okay, I checked the game sites and got the walkthrough and the FAQ's, so this shouldn't be too bad. Of course, first thing we gotta do is find Zzarc' Vul and-"</p><p>The Blood Elf looked to the Draenei, who looked to the Human who looked back to the Blood Elf. In unspoken agreement, Paladin Kunou spoke the words that were on all their minds.</p><p>"Cease thy prattling, Bovine! We desire not <em>spoilers</em> but seek the challenge of battling the unknown! Let us embark on our quest forthwith!"</p><p>Okay, so maybe he <em>paraphrased </em>what was on all their minds, but he managed to get the point across. The Tauren pouted sadly, but the Priestess and the Sorcerer nodded ruthlessly.</p><p>"Yeah, I don't have all night to play, you know?" the Blood Elf added for effect.</p><p>Rogue Nabiki let out a defeated sigh. "Fine, let's go fight an Ogre without a game plan <em>again</em>. I do so love traveling with ghosts."</p><p>Priestess Jinx smirked victoriously. "Alright, off to almost certain doom!"</p><p>Sorcerer Mousse was more than happy to let their resident Paladin charge forward to lead their stalwart group to glory. The Tauren followed close behind, not wanting to miss out on a single XP. Rather more sedately, the Blood Elf fell in line with the sashaying forms of the Draenei and the Night Elf.</p><p>"Oh, by they way," the Priestess asked the Rogue, out of the blue. "It's still alright for me and Happi to swing by your place, right Nabiki? He just wants to make a quick stop in Gotham, but that's it."</p><p>Rogue Nabiki grimaced visibly. "Do you <em>have </em>to bring Happosai?"</p><p>The Draenei replied with a weary sigh.</p><p>"Ah, c'mon, Biki. Happi isn't that bad."</p><p>As soon as the words were uttered, the entire World seemed to grind to a shuddering halt. Mousse was so shocked that he hit the wrong key and his Blood Elf broke out into a highly inappropriate, if funky, dance.</p><p><em>Everyone </em>turned to regard the Priestess; Paladin Kunou with jaw slack, Warrior Gizmo with eyes wide, Rogue Nabiki as pale as a ghost... and Sorcerer Mousse with hips gyrating suggestively.</p><p>"Oh, what tragedy to befall such a young and tender flower of womanhood," lamented the Paladin melodramatically.</p><p>"N-not-not so <em>bad</em>?" the Sorcerer stuttered in disbelief.</p><p>The Rogue simply stared into nothingness, the utter paradox of Jinx's words shutting down her brain's higher functions. "She... she's lost her mind..."</p><p>The mighty Tauren Gizmo looked to Jinx, then to the three shell shocked adventurers. Then, in a most casual manner, he shrugged.</p><p>"Meh, I always figured Jinx would snap first."</p><p>"<em>Hey</em>!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Darkness surrounded her, laying over her perceptions like a shroud of ebon velvet. The darkness was familiar... and yet not, like a memory clinging to the very edge of her mind, or a word dangling from the tip of her tongue, refusing to reveal itself. What did this darkness signify? Was she dreaming? Was she blind? Had she somehow been inexplicably transmogrified into a stone statue, only to suffer the unimaginable horror of retaining her consciousness, doomed to go slowly mad as her mind railed against her unnatural and unending captivity-</p><p>No, wait, her eyelids were just closed.</p><p>Feeling a bit silly, Terra forced open her unbelievably heavy eyelids, struggling against the immense bulk of her lengthy eyelashes every millimeter of the way. That exhausting task out of the way, she began to take in her surroundings. Wherever she was, it was vaguely familiar, though dimly lit.</p><p>She was thankful for that last small blessing, as even the moonlight filtering through the far bank of windows was causing her glistening blue eyes to water.</p><p>The next thing she noticed was a dull throbbing pounding away at the forefront of her brain. <em>Great, I don't know where I am, why I' m here, or how I got here, but now I have a migraine, too?</em></p><p>She lifted her hand to rub her pulsating temples... or, at least she tried to. She could barely even budge the treacherous limb. It felt like she had been working out for three days straight; she might as well have had a lead pipe lashed to her shoulder for all the good it was doing her now. She imagined her legs were going to be in pretty much the same condition, so she didn't waste her time trying to sit up.</p><p>Instead, the young woman started to take in her surroundings to see if she could garner any clues as to her current situation.</p><p>
  <em>Let's see...</em>
</p><p>Windows... not really useful.</p><p>Beds, a lot of them.</p><p>Curtains, hanging between the beds, none of them drawn though.</p><p>A machine that goes <em>ping</em>...</p><p>Well, it certainly looked like she was in a hospital, if that hospital had been torn from the set of a Star Trek episode. Her weary blue eyes continued their trek across the room for more clues-</p><p>A gloved hand curled tightly around her left hand.</p><p>
  <em>Well, now I'm getting somewhere.</em>
</p><p>The hand was attached to a narrow wrist, wrapped in a black, stretch material. The wrist, in turn, was connected to a wiry arm which ran up to a lightly muscled shoulder.</p><p>And there, resting silently on the mattress beside her was an unkempt tangle of emerald hair. She felt certain that the sight of green hair should have struck her as odd, instead she found herself smiling fondly. Reaching out as gently as possible (considering the uncoordinated condition of her arm), she carefully brushed the oddly hued locks away to reveal the sleeping face of a green skinned boy, a line of drool running down his cheek to soak into the sheets.</p><p>Terra giggled in amusement at the adorable sight but did so silently to avoid waking her erstwhile companion. She wasn't left wondering too long, though, as a familiar name came tumbling to center stage in her mind.</p><p><em>Beast Boy</em>...</p><p>The smile on her pale lips widened as memories of the emerald shape shifter began to flow forth unbidden. It was all a jumble, flashes of vision and snippets of conversations, all half remembered, but there were some that stood out keenly. She remembered sitting on the shore of a small island, skipping stones. She remembered riding bumper cars, and fighting giant mechanical worms, and silly jokes and eating pie... and very nearly a kiss...</p><p>Her smile faded at that as other memories began to return to her. These memories felt more like nightmares, though only worse, since she had a gnawing chill in her gut that told her they had all happened as well. She remembered yelling at the green boy, running away from the tower, lying to her friends over and over again. The image of an earthen chasm closing on the emerald changeling played over and over in her mind, the look of betrayal in his eyes burning her like a pair of brands... which was quite fitting, as her final memories were of fire...</p><p>Terra's entire body shivered at those last memories.</p><p>She gazed back down at the emerald boy holding her hand with such fierce tenderness. Her first instinct was to try slipping her hand from his and escaping the tower. She had no idea what had happened, her memories ending sharply with those searing curtains of flame.</p><p>Terra honestly had no idea how she could have survived the hellish flames of her mind's eye, or even if she had <em>deserved </em>to survive. The things she had done for Slade... The things she had done to her friends. What <em>had </em>happened to her? Who knew how long she might have been unconscious? A minute, an hour, a day?</p><p>Were they just helping her so they could send her to prison?</p><p>She looked down to the changeling dozing at her side.</p><p><em>No, </em>she decided.</p><p>Even at the very end, <em>he </em>had never given up on her. There was no way he would let anything like that happen to her.</p><p>She found the strength to dash a tear from her eye. How could he possibly be so kind to her after what she had done? She didn't deserve his friendship and she knew it. She didn't deserve any kind of friendship after what she'd done.</p><p>Gently pulling, she tried to slide her fingers from Beast Boy's gloved hand. Her efforts only caused the boy's grip to tighten unconsciously. Beast Boy shifted slightly, mumbling something she couldn't quite make out, but didn't <em>quite </em>wake up.</p><p><em>He never did like to let things go, no matter how bad they were for him, </em>she mused silently.</p><p>Just how long had the emerald changeling been at her side, waiting for her to wake up? Judging by the drool stain slowly spreading across the mattress, she'd guess hours. The blonde bulldozer shifted a few inches away from the slightly gross sign of devotion, before returning her gaze to the sleeping boy.</p><p>She lost track of how long she simply took in the adorable sight of the sleeping hero. One could easily forget he was such selfless person, such a fierce and implacable warrior when the situation called for it...</p><p>He was so <em>perfect </em>in her eyes; brave, generous, funny, really cute. What he could possibly see in someone as fractured and screwed up as her, she had no idea. Still, at the very least he deserved more than her sneaking out of the tower without even saying goodbye.</p><p>She stretched a weak smile across her lips and gently squeezed the hand so warmly wrapped around her own.</p><p>"Beast Boy," she whispered hoarsely.</p><p>"Unh... wha..." Beast Boy's eyes blinked rapidly for several seconds as his head rose sluggishly from the mattress. The drool-soaked sheets clung to his cheek for several inches before finally releasing their slimy grip.</p><p>Terra giggled lightly as she watched his eyes roam around and decided to speed up the process. <em>Everyone </em>knew how bad Beast Boy could be in the morning.</p><p>"Beast Boy," she gently coaxed the boy, squeezing his hand again.</p><p>Like two ball bearings drawn to lodestone, his eyes found her, nearly doubling in size as they did.</p><p><em>Here it comes</em>, she mused, <em>He'll make some goofy joke about 'sleeping' with me, we'll both laugh, and things'll appear to be just like old tim-</em></p><p>Except that wasn't what happened at all. Beast Boy just continued to stare at her, like she was his own personal oasis, or something, and – and were those <em>tears</em> forming in the corners of his eyes?</p><p>She was even more surprised, though pleasantly, when the changeling sprang forward and wrapped her in a Starfire Grade Hug.</p><p>"<em>Terra</em>! I – I – <em>you're alright</em>! Ah – I – oh <em>man</em>! I've been imagining this moment forever, and now look at me, babbling like a moron!" Beast Boy babbled.</p><p>Terra returned the crushing embrace with all the strength she could muster but looked at her companion oddly.</p><p>"Beast Boy, calm down." She chuckled weakly. "Sheesh, you're making it sound like you never thought you'd see me again."</p><p>If anything, the hug grew stronger, more intense, almost painful. Apparently, her best friend had been working out in her absence, but she endured his enhanced physique as stoically as she could.</p><p>"I-it's just it's been so long... We weren't sure we'd ever get you back, b-but I never lost hope! I never gave up on you!" The desperate tone in the changeling's voice would have been touching at any other time. Now, it only filled her with a building sense of anxiety.</p><p>She let out a nervous chuckle. "W-what are you talking about? Was... was I in a <em>coma </em>or something? How long have I been asleep: a day... a <em>week</em>?"</p><p>The look in his eyes, that strange mixture of regret, guilt, hope and joy only made her feel worse.</p><p>"...longer?" she asked hesitantly.</p><p>Beast Boy finally released her from his death grip and placed a hand on each of her shoulders, pushing her out to arm's length. Absently, she noticed that her changeling's once thin, ropey arms had developed some very noticeable muscle tone.</p><p>"Terra, what's the last thing you remember?"</p><p>The Geokinetic hero didn't like where the question was going, or the tone he asked it in.</p><p>"Well, it's all fuzzy, disjointed. I'm not really sure which things happened first, but – I remember fighting Slade... and you..."</p><p>She looked down, averting her eyes to the far wall, but if her friend possessed even a shred of anger at her betrayal, he was hiding it well.</p><p>"Do you remember anything after that?"</p><p>She could feel her forehead crinkling up as she concentrated on trying to muddle out the actual sequence of events in her jumbled memory.</p><p>"There was... an explosion – no, an eruption! I remember someone yelling 'volcano', and then you were asking me... asking me something." She hated not being able to remember everything. For a moment, she imagined what it would be like to nor remember anything at all, to have a clean slate...</p><p>"I was asking you to come with me, but- but-"</p><p>"But I had to stay... right?" She felt a strange sense of déjà vu wash over her saying those words, but quickly brushed it off.</p><p>Beast Boy nodded, a proud expression on his face.</p><p>"Yeah, you did. No matter what you might have done wrong, what lies Slade used to twist you up inside, when it came down to it... you did the right thing."</p><p>She smiled then, though it was a smile of more show than substance. Sure, it was nice of him to say, but she couldn't <em>remember </em>making that decision. Would she make it again, given the choice, or was Beast Boy's noble ideal of her self-sacrifice all a foolish delusion?</p><p>"What happened next?" She asked the question even though she was certain she didn't want to know the answer.</p><p>He hesitated for a long, long moment; she could almost see the struggle going on in his head to put what he was thinking into words. "You saved us, Terra. Not just me, or the Titans, but everyone in the whole city. You beat Slade and you saved us all..."</p><p>Terra looked away, staring vacantly at the far window. <em>Everyone in the city? The city that I had personally emptied of every living thing? </em>Saving an empty city hardly seemed like the noble act her friend was trying to make it.</p><p>"-But – but it was too much. The volcano was too huge. None of us can explain what happened next, but somehow, using so much of your power... you... you-"</p><p>She gave his hand a gentle squeeze and turned back to match his gaze. Several strands of her blonde hair dropped down in a curtain before her right eye, but she couldn't be bothered to brush it away.</p><p>"It's okay, Beast Boy, you can tell me."</p><p>The young man took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds, then-</p><p>"Somehow, you turned yourself into a <em>statue</em>. We didn't know how, or why, or how to turn you back, or even <em>if </em>you could turn back, and then-"</p><p>"Wait – stop. <em>What</em>?" Turned into a <em>statue</em>? She couldn't believe what she was hearing, and she said as much. "Turned into a statue? What are you talking about?"</p><p>Beast Boy took another deep, calming breath.</p><p>"Your power, somehow it turned your whole body to stone. Maybe to protect you, but none of us are really sure."</p><p>Terra stared ahead blankly, her mind vainly trying to process what she'd just been told. A <em>statue</em>? Was that possible? How had it happened? How had she survived? How did the Titans revive her? There was one question that dwarfed all the others combined, though.</p><p>"H-how long?"</p><p>This time the changeling squeezed her hand, holding on like a lifeline.</p><p>"Terra... you've been gone for nearly ten months."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>With a loud rustle of paper, Robin flipped the Newspaper open to the financial section. He'd flashed through the comics, but weekday papers never had anything good, and with Cyborg out, the sports section was still laying abandoned on the couch beside him.</p><p>As was customary of his reading the financial section, the detective in training first scanned the headings for any mention of Wayne Enterprises. Next, he perused for any company or bank foolish enough to publicly mention some kind of large cash transfer or announce some potentially dangerous piece of technology just begging to fall into the wrong hands.</p><p>Sure, he hadn't <em>actually </em>caught anyone like that <em>yet</em>, but he just knew that the day he forgot to check would be the day that the Joker's funny pages stuck together, and the loony stumbled across some perfect target.</p><p>Next, he did a quick check of his stocks.</p><p>
  <em>Hmmmm, Tenzoma is up two more points.</em>
</p><p>He smiled at that. The small technology firm had been a toss-away purchase, considering he hardly knew anything about it, but its continued growth was always nice to see. It almost made up for his Enron decision a few years back...</p><p>All his important chores out of the way, the caped crusader (in training) finally kicked back to read the big story of the day-</p><p>A second later, he groaned in disgust. He quickly turned back over the couch to look at his companion who was busy behind the kitchen counter making some food for their restless patient patroller.</p><p>In a fit of annoyance, Robin slapped the page, indicating the large picture of a fishing boat displayed at its center.</p><p>"Would you look at this? The fishing industry is crying out for a handout from the government. They're claiming that no one has been catching any fish for the past week."</p><p>Kasumi looked up at him, tilting her head inquisitively. "You make it sound like helping all of those poor fishermen isn't a good idea."</p><p>Robin kicked himself mentally. He'd forgotten who he was complaining to.</p><p>"Well, I wouldn't put it like <em>that. </em>It's just that these guys have been overfishing for decades, and now that the damage they're causing to the ocean starts catching up to them, they suddenly cry foul. They're almost as bad as the Ja—" His jaw clicked shut as he remembered just who he was talking to... again. He just stared at the Japanese woman, sweating bullets and brain racing. "...lllllaapenos peppers... Yeah, I hate those things!"</p><p>He groaned loudly in his own head. <em>Idiot</em>! That had easily been his worst dodge ever. He only hoped he hadn't offended her too-</p><p>"Actually, it's pronounced <em>Jalapenos</em>, Robin," she explained politely.</p><p>The polite smile she wore might as well have been a poker face. He had no clue if she was being serious, or just teasing him again. Rather than fight it, though, he decided to roll with it.</p><p>"That's what I said, Jalapenos," he replied, vainly trying to hide his smile.</p><p>"No, it's-" Kasumi released a weary sigh. "Never mind."</p><p><em>Success! </em>Robin cheered internally. Yet another artful dodge from the Boy Won-</p><p>"I'll have to remember not to make those stuffed peppers you ate so many of last week anymore. Oh well, I'm off to take these snacks to Beast Boy."</p><p>Then, before he even had the chance to retract his statement, the older woman glided over to and was whisked away by the elevator. He could only stare at the cold steel of the elevator doors in shock.</p><p>
  <em>N-no more stuffed peppers?</em>
</p><p>Robin dropped to his knees and raised his arms to the heavens.</p><p>"<em>Nooooooo</em>!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Terra could only stare, wide eyed as Beast Boy continued to tell her of the fate that had befallen her. It was hard to pay attention to what he was actually saying, though. She was still trying to grasp the enormity of what had happened.</p><p><em>Ten months? As a statue? </em>On one hand, it sounded like the most horrible fate imaginable... but on the other, her confinement had passed literally in the blink of an eye for her. She was ten months out of touch now, but – but was that really such a bad thing?</p><p>Sure, it was ten months that she could never get back, time she could have spent apologizing and atoning. Now, though, time had done all of that for her. The Titans had had ten months to recover from her betrayal, ten months of missing her, ten months to remember the good times and forget the bad...</p><p>Terra had never felt lower in her life. It was too much to reconcile. She hadn't even had time to fully come to grips with what she'd done, but her friends had already forgiven and forgotten long ago. How could she deal with that when she could still see the looks of betrayal on the Titan's faces like it was yesterday?</p><p>Heck, for her, it practically was.</p><p>"-hat treatment didn't work either, and after we saw how reckless some of those researchers were to prove their theories right, we just upped and kicked the entire S.T.A.R. labs crew out of your cave."</p><p>Yet another failure in a string of failures, at least, that seemed to be the gist of her companion's exposition. The recently unpetrified hero – villain – whatever, let out a deep sigh.</p><p>"Beast Boy, really," she cut in as politely as she could. She offered the green teen a weak smile. "I appreciate everything you guys did to try to help me, really, I do-" <em>Though I don't understand it</em>. "-but could you <em>please </em>get to the point?"</p><p>Beast Boy smiled and offered her an embarrassed chuckle. "Yeah, I guess it is a pretty long story. You'll like this next part, though, cuz this is where we finally meet Ryo, and that finally starts the ball rollin' on gettin' you back to normal."</p><p>She shot him an inquisitive glance. He was talking like that name should mean anything to her. "Who's Ryo?"</p><p>An excited look spread across the changeling’s face and his hands rose in anticipation of a vivid retelling/re-enactment-</p><p>"Ryouga, actually. Hibiki Ryouga, and he is the very sweet young man that that worked so hard to help you."</p><p>Terra turned quickly at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped open at what she saw. An older woman, Asian most likely, was standing in the doorway. The woman possessed a classic, subdued beauty and her wide smile radiated warmth and kindness.</p><p>Of course, it wasn't the lady that caused Terra's reaction, so much as the plate of steaming veggies held in her hands.</p><p>The narrow-framed blonde did her best to disguise her naked lust for the scrumptious looking food. It was hard, though, as the delectable aroma it was giving off had her right on the precipice of drooling like a sleeping Beast Boy.</p><p>"H-hello," Terra began uncertainly. "Umm, I don't think we've met. I'm Terra." She stuck out her hand for a handshake.</p><p>The woman's smile seemed to warm another ten degrees or so. She then appeared to <em>glide </em>across the room to join them in a display of poise and grace that made the young hero shamefully envious. Rather than take the offered hand, the lady placed the tray of food on the bed between her and Beast Boy before bowing politely.</p><p>"My name is Tendo Kasumi, though I hope you'll simply call me Kasumi. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Terra."</p><p>Feeling a little silly sitting there with her hand sticking out, Terra quickly and casually retracted it to run her fingers through her hair. "Thanks, it's – ah... nice to meet you too, Kasumi."</p><p>Kasumi rose from her shallow bow, her head tilting to the side as she considered the bedridden girl.</p><p>"You're even prettier than I imagined." A twinkle filled the older woman's eyes. "I bet you must have to beat off the young men with a stick."</p><p>Terra's cheeks flushed red at the teasing compliment. Involuntarily, her eyes slid over to Beast Boy. "Well, I haven't had to use a stick yet, though I have thought about it with <em>one </em>boy."</p><p>Beast Boy immediately pulled down on his eyelid and blew a raspberry at her, even as the Tendo woman giggled in amusement. The young hero wished her own giggle would sound even half as light and airy as Kasumi's someday.</p><p>"So, I don't want to be rude or anything, but... umm, what exactly do you do here? Are you the Titan's new nurse or something?" Terra just couldn't imagine the stunning, sweet woman before her out at night battling the forces of evil.</p><p>An amused laugh burst forth from Beast Boy. "Ha! Kas, here is <em>way </em>more than that! She's like the Titan's Big Sister, or something." He turned to Kasumi. "Right?"</p><p>Kasumi just stared at him. Terra made a face as well. "Kas?" she asked incredulously.</p><p>The changeling looked from Kasumi, to Terra and back again before sighing. "That one's not gonna stick either, is it?"</p><p>With a surprisingly supportive smile on her face, Kasumi shook her head from side to side. "I appreciate your desire to find a nickname for me, but I'm quite happy with you calling me Kasumi, Ga-<em>mmph</em>!"</p><p>"<em>No!</em>"</p><p>Terra's eyes nearly bugged out of her head when Beast Boy suddenly lunged forward, clamping his hands over Kasumi's mouth. The blonde could only stare as he looked around in panic, before turning back to the Tendo woman. The ponytail wearing brunette was simply staring ahead, wide eyed. The expression on the Asian woman's face was one of complete incomprehension.</p><p>A second later, Beast Boy looked to Terra, then back to Kasumi as well. Instantly, a look of horror spread across the emerald boy's face as he realized exactly what he was doing. In a flash, he released Kasumi's mouth and swung his arms behind his back, as if hiding the appendages would make them think he hadn't been responsible.</p><p>"I am <em>so </em>sorry, Kasumi. I totally didn't mean to-"</p><p>He was cut off by a single finger being pressed to his lips. With her other hand, Kasumi gently touched her slightly reddened cheek, a faint smile forming.</p><p>"That's alright-" If it had been anyone else, Terra imagined that smile would have been called sly. "-<em>Beast Boy</em>. I've seen people do that quite often, just... never to me. It really was quite silly!"</p><p>Terra joined the older woman in giggling at the absurdity of it all. She would definitely have to ask Kasumi what Beast Boy was so eager to hide later. It <em>had </em>to be something juicy.</p><p>It was at that moment, that Terra's body chose to betray her. Her tiny tummy, unable to resist such proximity to such ridiculously good smelling food, began to rumble with the ferocity of a prehistoric beast. The slight blonde's face instantly went beet red as her companion's shot her amused looks.</p><p>"Ummm...sorry," Terra muttered shyly.</p><p>Rather than laugh, though, Kasumi just smiled all the more warmly. "My, you must be <em>famished</em>. Why don't I go make you something to eat? I'm sure that Beast Boy will be more than happy to share his snacks with you while you wait."</p><p>Both females cast their gazes upon the green male. Beast Boy looked to the plate, then to Terra, then the plate, then Terra, then the pla-</p><p>"<em>Beast Boy</em>!" Terra scowled darkly at the teen changeling.</p><p>Beast Boy instantly reverted to nervous laughter. "I'm just <em>teasing</em>, Terra!" He ran a hand through his hair in an unfamiliar gesture, before pushing the plate a little closer to her. "It's all yours; I don't mind... even if Kasumi's cooking <em>is </em>totally, jaw droppingly awesome... and she <em>did </em>make it for me, <em>but, no</em>! It's all good! Eat u-"</p><p>"<em>Beast Boy</em>!"</p><p>"Beast Boy..."</p><p>"<em>Just kidding! Just kidding!"</em></p><p>Terra rolled her eyes, even as she reached down and popped a piece of steamed broccoli into her mouth-</p><p>"Oh. Wow..."</p><p>About three seconds later, Terra suddenly realized that she was licking the plate with fevered intensity. She noticed the odd glances she was getting from her companions. Beast Boy looked more heartbroken than shocked, and the brunette was wearing an odd, almost fond expression. Slowly, Terra lowered the sparkling plate back to the bed, feeling her cheeks starting to burn again. "Ummm, sorry about that, guess I was hungrier than I thought."</p><p>Beast Boy vainly tried to hide the fact that he was dashing his tears of anguish. Kasumi, on the other hand, let out a light, airy laugh which filled the room with joy.</p><p>"It's quite alright. You just reminded me of someone else, then. Now that I know how hungry you are, though, I should definitely make you something tasty to eat."</p><p>Terra looked away, feeling a little guilty. "Only if it's not too much trouble..."</p><p>"Not at all. In fact, I'll fetch Robin as well." Kasumi laughed in amusement. "I was enjoying talking to you so much, that I hadn't even thought to call him."</p><p>That made Terra think for a moment. "Only Robin? Where's everyone else? And whatever happened to this Ryouga person that helped me?"</p><p>Beast Boy chuckled, sounding a bit embarrassed. "Well, we kinda didn't figure you'd be waking up for at least a day or two, so Robin gave Cy, Star, Rae and Ryo the night off as a reward for all the hard work they did helpin' you. I think they're out having dinner or something."</p><p>The idea of Raven and Starfire out for dinner with a pair of handsome boys (she assumed) brought a smile to her lips. She could only imagine how happy Star would be, and how awkward Raven would be acting.</p><p>Kasumi tapped a finger to her chin. "I should really call them back, too. They'd be <em>very </em>excited."</p><p>"<em>No</em>!" Terra blurted quickly. "Please don't spoil their evening on my account. I'll still be here when they get back."</p><p>"You sure about that, Terra? Star'll probably be way cranked at us for not calling her the second you woke up." Beast Boy looked more than slightly worried at the prospect.</p><p>Terra smirked evilly. "Well, then you'd already be in trouble, wouldn't you?"</p><p>The look on Beast Boy's face was more than worth feeling bad for teasing him. Still, there were so many questions she wanted to ask. Hesitantly, she turned to Kasumi.</p><p>"This guy that saved me... Ryouga. Can you tell me what he's like?"</p><p>Kasumi considered her question for a moment, drawing a graceful finger down her cheek. "Well, I'll do my best. You see, Ryouga can be as complex as he can be simple, an-"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"-nd that's when Mousse and I pointed behind them and yelled 'Look, a woman's breasts!'"</p><p>Cyborg's Dr. Pepper nearly shot out his nose as Ryouga continued his story. The titanium Titan could barely contain his mirth long enough to ask, "And they <em>fell </em>for that? I mean, you guys were fighting in the middle of <em>nowhere</em>!"</p><p>Ryouga nodded, a wide fanged grin on his face. "Hook, line and sinker! Those guys turned around so fast I thought they'd get whiplash."</p><p>"What did you do next?" asked an enthralled Starfire.</p><p>The wanderer gestured excitedly with his arms. "We dropped a pair of <em>boulders</em> on their heads and hightailed it out of there! We didn't have time to deal with those two since Ranma was still fighting their leader."</p><p>Cyborg burst into laughter again. The mental image was just too freakin' hilarious. Their darkly dressed companion didn't seem quite as impressed, though.</p><p>Raven rolled her eyes. "<em>Obviously</em>. And what was the point of this story again?"</p><p>Running his hand through his hair, Ryouga chuckled weakly. "To explain to Cyborg that there are people even worse than me when it comes to dealing with breasts, after the whole Terra thing. I mean, I know I'm not the most socially educated guy out there, but that kind of thing happens in Nerima more than you might think."</p><p>Raven shot the young man a pointed glance. "And the two of you believed that somehow a lengthy discussion centered around the topic of breasts would be appropriate given your current company?"</p><p>Cyborg scratched the human half of his head. "What are ya talkin' 'bout, Rae?" He gestured to the numerous empty tables around the table they had chosen on the Pizza place's balcony. "Just the four of us here, so we ain't gonna offend anyone. 'Sides, not like I ever get the chance to talk about this with BB or Robbie."</p><p>For some reason, Starfire and Raven exchanged a very flat, inscrutable set of looks. Fortunately, Cyborg had no idea what it could mean, so he swung back to Ryouga. "So, Ryo, my man. Did ya ever see Girl Ranma sans shirt?"</p><p>"<em>Cyborg, please!</em>" Raven's outburst was quickly followed by a disturbed glance from Starfire.</p><p>"Even by my standards... that is just plain creepy. You are aware that Ranma is male, correct?"</p><p>Cyborg shrugged, trying to hide his amusement at their reactions. "What? He's pretty hot when he's a she. Besides, living vicariously through Ryouga is all I've got. I don't live in the Land of the Rising Shirts like he did. Right buddy?"</p><p>He dropped a companionable arm around the fanged boy's shoulders, tactfully ignoring the green tint the guy's face had taken since the mention of Ranma making one fine lady.</p><p>The cyborg met the female's withering gazes with his most winning smile, until Raven finally let out a defeated sigh. "What <em>is </em>it with men and breasts, anyway? I have simply never understood the fascination with what is essentially a developed pair of mammary glands."</p><p>Cyborg and Ryouga quickly shot each other a look, just <em>daring </em>the other to say what was racing through their minds. Luckily, the martial artist's keen survival instincts and the cybernetic teen's self preservation protocols were in fine form that night and clamped their respective jaws shut.</p><p>Starfire, on the other hand, looked to be tackling the question seriously, tapping an elegant finger to her chin as she thought. "Perhaps the human species propensity for covering their bodies at all times, coupled with highly ingrained social stigmas repressing their sexual desires so ruthlessly, has led the male sex to come to idolize the attribute which is the most easily identifiable physical characteristic of the female sex?"</p><p>Cyborg, Ryouga and Raven could only stare at the flame haired Tamaranean for a long moment. Slowly, Cyborg nodded. "Ummmm, <em>yeah</em>, what she said..."</p><p>Raven leaned forward, eyeing her closest friend oddly. "That was an... extremely specific answer. You sound like you know quite a lot about the subject."</p><p>The titanium Titan had absolutely no clue if the violet eyed girl had spun any innuendo on that question, and apparently neither did Starfire.</p><p>"Oh, yes, friend Raven. On my home world of Tamaran, my people are far more open in the expression of our feelings for one another, both emotionally and physically. Also, due to the rather uniform climate of our planet, clothing never came to be viewed as the necessity it has become here. If you recall, your earthly concept of modesty was quite unusual to me for many days after my arrival on your planet."</p><p>Even as Cyborg felt his own cheeks begin to burn at the deeply repressed memories (repressed by Robin's boot, as the little guy had ruthlessly ambushed anyone that had tried to take advantage), he calmly reached over and clamped his fingers down on Ryouga's nose as <em>his </em>face went red as a tomato.</p><p>Even Raven couldn't maintain her usual pallor, her cheeks tingeing in embarrassment. "Yes, I believe <em>everyone </em>remembers those days..."</p><p>"Bud I doughd yow peepow were a wawwiow wace?" asked a confused Ryouga. Apparently, the fanged boy didn't mind the cybernetic assist, since he had yet to remove Cyborg's hand from his nose.</p><p>Starfire giggled in amusement at the pair of them, before drawing a finger down her cheek in thought once more. "What would be the <em>homo sapien</em> expression... 'All toil and no recreation makes Jack a blunted adolescent?'"</p><p>Cyborg finally released his friend's nose, if only so he could scratch his own head. Now what quote had she mangled this ti- <em>Oh</em> wait, now he got it.</p><p>"That's... close enough, Starfire," muttered Raven, "Now, can we <em>please </em>change the top-"</p><p>Beep, beep, beep sounded Cyborg's arm, startling the large teen. He lifted the blinking limb before shooting a wry smile to Raven and chuckling. "Your wish is my command, apparently."</p><p>In return, she rolled her violet eyes. "Just answer it already."</p><p>He chuckled again, before turning his attention back to the flashing panel in his arm. His smile faded a bit; if he was being contacted it was likely one of only a few options. A) A good emergency, like Terra waking up. B) A bad emergency, like Doomsday happening to wander through town, or-</p><p>"Hey there, Sparky! How's my favorite home appliance doing?"</p><p>-or a pleasant surprise. Cyborg's smile returned in full force. "Yo, Bumblebee, pollinate any good flowers lately?"</p><p>Around the table, Ryouga chuckled, Starfire giggled, and Raven rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time.</p><p>The tiny digital representation of Bumblebee's lovely dark-skinned face looked around inquisitively at the sounds of mirth. "What's going on over there? You guys having a party?"</p><p>Cyborg considered that for a moment. "Actually, yeah. We kind of are. Me, Ryo, Rae, and Star got the night off, so we're out for dinner. Here, let me put ya on conference call."</p><p>With a few deft touches to the screen on his arm, the communicators of the three Titan's sitting around the table began to beep as well. Starfire was the first to open hers, doing so with great enthusiasm. "Greetings, my dear friend Bumblebee! It has been too long since we have enjoyed your company."</p><p>Raven opened hers with a rather flat expression. "Bumblebee."</p><p>And then, of course, there was Ryouga, whose eyes lit up like a kid in a candy story. "Hi, BB! How are things going on the east coast? Ukyo and Kunou aren't driving you buggy, are they?"</p><p>Both Cyborg and Raven groaned at the horrible pun, but Bumblebee laughed in genuine amusement. "Ha! No more than you did in our Advanced Anarchy class. Don't think I've forgotten <em>that </em>incident."</p><p>Instantly, Ryouga burst into boisterous laughter, ending with wiping a tear from his eye. "Ahh... the look on your face was <em>completely </em>worth the horribly disproportionate revenge."</p><p>Everyone else at the table was torn between staring at Ryouga and their communicators in confusion. The whole thing reeked of inside joke, and from the looks on the two girl's faces, they were feeling just as left out as Cyborg was.</p><p>"So, Bumblebee, is there something you needed?" Raven asked, maybe just a little sharply.</p><p>If Bumblebee caught the tone, she ignored it completely. "Oh, yeah. Nothing big, though. We've had a few run ins with the Hive Five. Nothing we couldn't handle, but I was gonna ask Sparky to help upgrade our security to keep Kyd Wykkyd from just waltzing into our tower."</p><p>Everyone turned to Ryouga. "Kyd Wykkyd?" asked Cyborg for them.</p><p>The Lost Boy shrugged. "Teleporter." He then looked back to his communicator. "You guys are tangling with Nabiki? Hey, the next time you see her, can you remind her she still owes me ten dollars from our bet?"</p><p>The winged girl laughed brightly. "Oh, sure. I'll try to fit it in between the punching and the kicking."</p><p>Cyborg, Raven and Starfire shared another look.</p><p>"Bet?" asked Cyborg, apparently their spokesperson.</p><p>Ryouga and Bumblebee suddenly began to chuckle and giggle conspiratorially.</p><p>"It's nothing," they chimed in eerie coordination.</p><p>Raven's lips curved down into a very subtle frown. "Are you sure that it's wise to be acting so casually regarding a group of ruthless criminals?"</p><p>This time, it was Bumblebee and Ryouga that shared a flat, inscrutable look. If Cyborg didn't know better, he'd almost swear that the duo looked offended. Odd, that. He didn't get the chance to inquire, though.</p><p>"<em>Anyway</em>, Sparky, that can wait. So, what's going on with you four? You guys on a double date? If so, which of those fine ladies is on your arm, Cyborg?"</p><p>Cyborg chuckled helplessly, shooting a nervous glance across the table. "It ain't like that, Bee."</p><p>If anything, the sly smile on the girl's dark lips became even more so. "<em>Really? </em>Does this mean my Yaoi dreams are coming true and you and Ryo are an item now?"</p><p>"<em>Gah!</em>"</p><p>"No way!"</p><p>"Certainly <em>not</em>!"</p><p>"Bumblebee..."</p><p>The bee clad girl's laughter sounded in surround sound, flowing from all four of their communicators. "Fine, <em>fine, </em>I'm just teasing, you guys. I'm sure you four are enjoying sophisticated and witty conversation on a wide range of topics."</p><p>Starfire recovered quickly and nodded excitedly. "Indeed. We were just discussing the reasons why Earth males are so preoccupied with the mammary glands of the female sex."</p><p>Raven instantly dropped her face into her hand. "Starfire..." she moaned agonizingly.</p><p>But it was already too late; Cyborg could already see the wicked twinkle forming in the digitally present female's eyes. Slowly, Bumblebee shook her head from side to side. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, girls. You should both know that breasts aren't what gets a guys attention, it's all about the <em>booty</em>."</p><p>This time Cyborg's Dr. Pepper <em>did </em>shoot out his nose! He was so caught off guard that he nearly fell backwards out of his seat. Ryouga, Raven and Starfire, on the other hand, all stared at their communicators in confusion.</p><p>"Boo-tee?" asked Starfire, "Is that some form of human footwear?"</p><p>Bumblebee burst out into laughter, even as Cyborg slowly dragged himself back into his seat. The dark-skinned girl then nodded amiably. "It can be, if you get kicked there hard enough. I'm talking about your <em>bottom</em>, people. Your derriere? Posterior?"</p><p>"We <em>get it</em>," stated Raven dangerously.</p><p>Bumblebee's smile grew even wider. "Well, I knew <em>you </em>would, Raven. After all, you're draggin' a pretty good wagon yourself."</p><p>Raven glared back through the communicator. "Only through the context of this conversation do I understand your meaning, though I wish I <em>didn't</em>."</p><p>Starfire, who had been deep in thought this whole time, suddenly perked up, a look of understanding on her face. "Ah! I believe I comprehend what you are speaking of." A self-conscious look flitted across her face. "Are you stating that there is not enough of the junk in my trunk?"</p><p>This time Ryouga joined Cyborg in collapsing to the ground, strangled guffaws dying in their throats.</p><p>Bumblebee shook her head sadly. "Sorry, girl. Your orange butt is so narrow it could cut glass."</p><p>Starfire donned a puzzled look. "Cut glass? But my posterior bone ridges detached with the completion of my transformation."</p><p>Cyborg could already see the question forming in his fallen comrade's eyes, but he was laughing too hard to even try answering. At this rate, he was going to have to divert extra power to his life support systems just to keep his lungs from failing-</p><p>"Alright, that is enough." Raven's statement cut through the boy's laughter like a knife. Instantly, both young men were back in their seats and sitting up straight. Raven glared at both of them, then back to the communicator. "This conversation has gone from being merely inane to completely uncomfortable. If there is nothing else, Bumblebee, we <em>were </em>in the middle of something here."</p><p>Still giggling wickedly under her breath, Bumblebee nodded quickly. "Oh, yeah, yeah, I get you." Before she signed off, though, she turned her attention to Ryouga's screen. "Before I forget, Ryouga, give me a call later on, after you get back in. There's something else I wanted to ask you. You too, Sparky, we still gotta go over that security stuff."</p><p>Both guys nodded quickly, and then all four of their communicators blinked off at the same time.</p><p>Slowly, all four Titan's looked up at each other. Raven, surprisingly, was the first to speak. Even more surprisingly, there was a small little smile on her lips. "That. Was. Mortifying. But still, it's not every day that we are treated to the sight of soda spewing out of your nose, Cyborg."</p><p>Cyborg nodded, gingerly holding his poor nose. "Tell me about it! That stuff burns like fire!"</p><p>Ryouga shook his head ruefully. "I think letting her work with Ukyou was a mistake. I don't know how, but I can just feel that this was all her fault somehow."</p><p>Starfire giggled adorably. "That is hardly a rational statement. However, it might benefit us to trans-locate our continuing celebration to a different venue."</p><p>The Tamaranean swept out her arm, indicating the four or five tables worth of people out on the far reaches of the balcony, not to mention several waiters, all staring at the four of them like they were completely insane.</p><p>A low groan came from the hooded Titan. "So much for our reputations... I certainly hope this doesn't get back to Robin."</p><p>Cyborg chuckled, waving off her concern. "Oh, don't worry, Raven. I'm sure it's all cool. Still, might not be a bad idea to mosey on; we are done eating after all."</p><p>"So where to, then? Back to the Tower?" asked Ryouga.</p><p>Starfire shook her head quickly. "No! I am having too much of the fun to return yet. We should endeavor to find another activity to partake of."</p><p>Raven didn't look so convinced. "I don't know. It is getting kind of late..."</p><p>"Aw, don't be a wet blanket, Rae. I know, let's check out a movie," Cyborg suggested excitedly. "Since this is Ryo's party, we can even let him choose what we see, that way we don't have to waste time arguing."</p><p>Starfire nodded excitedly, while Raven looked somewhat more reluctant. Ryouga seemed to be considering the option carefully. "Well... if I remember from when Kori and I went to the movies a few days ago, there were a few movies playing that didn't look too bad. I dunno, seems like a good idea to me."</p><p>By consensus, the group rose to their feet. Cyborg quickly dumped a small stack of bills on the table, then dropped a glass on them so the wind wouldn't carry them away. As soon as they were ready to leave, Starfire quickly latched onto Ryouga's arm and began to drag the lost boy from the pizzeria, excitedly making suggestions on what they should see. Cyborg only prayed to the heavens above that the fanged martial artist didn't take any of them.</p><p>It was about then, that the cybernetic teen noticed Raven still hanging back by the table, inconspicuously watching the departing pair of warriors out of the corner of her eye. Sighing to himself, Cyborg strolled over to the cloaked girl and dropped a hand on her shoulder. He must have caught her off guard, as she looked up at him with a small start.</p><p>"It's nothing," she stated quickly.</p><p>He just smiled supportively. "I know, I know. The odds of Ryouga actually picking a good movie are pretty astronomical, but hey, Robin's footing the entire bill, so at least you can get some free food out of the deal."</p><p>The young woman shot him a brief thankful glance, likely for not making a big production of the whole thing. Then she was slowly gliding forward after the departing duo. Cyborg fell into step with her easily and together they made their way back to the car.</p><p>"You know," he stated absently as they walked. "I should probably get Star to sit shotgun with me. That way she won't be able to bend Ryo's ear about what movie we should see the whole trip."</p><p>Though she tried to hide it, Raven's smile grew just a fraction of an inch. "You know, there <em>was </em>a Broadway adaptation I've had my eye on. It was about a barber that had a propensity for-"</p><p>Cyborg looked down at the lovely little lady at his side incredulously. He wanted to help her out, really, he did, but it appeared that there was only one real decision he could make. Putting a hand up to his mouth, he shouted forward to the distant pair ahead of them-</p><p>"<em>Ryo, you got shotgun</em>!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Terra clutched the cup with desperate strength, greedily draining every drop from its glass confines. She honestly hadn't even realized just how thirsty she had been until she'd taken her first sip of water. To her embarrassment, she’d guzzled so much it had made her sick. Luckily, understanding people surrounded her... and there had been a bucket close at hand.</p><p>Apparently being petrified in the heart of a volcano wasn't the best way to stay hydrated...</p><p>Shocker.</p><p>At least she knew why she had a headache now. She wasn't hurt, she was just hung over. Well, dehydrated technically, but same difference. If she had been the kind of girl that was hung up about her appearance, she would likely have been soaking in a tub of moisturizer to boot.</p><p>As it was, though, she was trying to settle her stomach enough so she could eat the delicious smelling meal that Kasumi had brought up for her. As good as the woman's cooking was, that broccoli hadn't exactly tasted great the second go around.</p><p>So, there she was, greedily sipping down water with Beast Boy at her side while Robin and Kasumi flitted around from this machine to that one, apparently trying to determine if she was okay or not.</p><p>Terra did her best to avoid glancing at the Boy Wonder, except to sneak quick peeks when she was <em>absolutely </em>sure he wasn't looking. Her last real meeting with Robin had ended on terms <em>almost </em>as terrible as her last <em>talk </em>with Raven had...</p><p>Now <em>there </em>was a reunion she could do without.</p><p>Across the room, the Boy Wonder in question tapped the digital display on one of the machines before nodding to himself. "Aside from a severe case of dehydration, it looks like you're in pretty good shape, Terra, all things considered."</p><p>Terra nodded meekly, doing her best to not draw any attention to herself. In retrospect, it was a futile attempt considering she was the <em>center </em>of attention, but that didn't make it any less uncomfortable.</p><p>"Hmm, I'm not so certain, Robin. I don't think her body has had the chance to really start recovering from stress of removing that awful suit." Kasumi turned her attention from the pinging machine she had been examining to Terra. "You do realize that you have recently undergone an extremely invasive form of surgery. Though your body being stone at the time prevented you from being injured further, it didn't do anything to help you recover from the thousands of microscopic injuries you sustained."</p><p>The thought of <em>thousands </em>of injuries in her body sent the slight blonde's stomach to churning in a manner that had nothing to do with food.</p><p>"Sheesh, Kasumi, are you trying to freak her out?" Beast Boy asked earnestly. He then turned to Robin. "She'll be fine in no time, right?"</p><p>Robin shot a quick glance to Kasumi, who nodded imperceptibly. A moment later, Robin offered a reassuring nod of his own. "Of course she'll be all right. Terra just needs to take it easy for a few days. No strenuous activity or training."</p><p>The changeling pouted adorably. "She gets to skip out on training? <em>Man</em>! How do I get <em>myself</em> a crippling injury like that?"</p><p>Terra probably would have made some kind of teasing offer to do it for him, but her mind was a million miles away at that moment.</p><p><em>Training? Training for what?</em> They couldn't possibly be considering putting her back on the team... could they? How could Robin, of all people, trust her that much? She didn't even trust <em>herself </em>that much.</p><p>The blonde vagabond carefully studied the three people in the room with her, tuning out their cheerful conversation. The ease with which they moved, the relaxed smiles on their faces as they playfully debated the merits of training (Beast Boy and Kasumi appeared to be of the same mind, surprisingly.)</p><p>These people were completely at ease around her, their guards were completely lowered. Hadn't they learned their lesson already? If she so chose, she could probably wipe them all out in a seco-</p><p>She shook her head furiously, terrified at how easily that thought had slipped into her head.</p><p>"What? Oh, come on, Terra! You and I could <em>totally </em>beat Robin and Starfire on the obstacle course!"</p><p><em>What</em>? It took her a second to catch up with the conversation. She still wasn't completely sure what they were talking about, so she just raised a faux enthusiastic fist into the air. "Um, yeah, go team..."</p><p>Beast Boy, ever oblivious, cheered happily. Kasumi, on the other hand, sent a strange, inscrutable glance her way. A moment later, the woman turned back to Robin and Beast Boy.</p><p>"Really, now, I think that's quite enough talk about training. Terra needs to <em>rest </em>and <em>relax</em>." Kasumi turned back in her direction. "Is there anything you would like to do tonight, Terra? Anything not stressful, at any rate."</p><p>Robin smiled, nodding in agreement.</p><p>How could he smile at her like that after what she'd done to him, to his team?</p><p>"Okay, Terra, what do you say? Starfire and the others got a night of fun to celebrate, so you should too," offered the smiling bird boy.</p><p>"Yeah, it'll be great! We can play video games, or watch movies, or whatever you want," chimed in an excited changeling.</p><p>Terra looked at the smiling faces of her three companions, trying her best to return those smiles with one of her own. Oddly, the first thing she could think of was to sink into the earth as far as she could go. All this kindness and support was really starting to freak her out. She was still twitching with each move that Robin made, imagining he was going for his staff every time he turned around.</p><p>What she <em>did </em>need was some time alone. She needed some time to think, she needed-</p><p>"Actually, I think I'd really like to take a bath," she stated wistfully.</p><p>Beast Boy's brow wriggled suggestively.</p><p>"Alright, but I'm not sure we'll all fit."</p><p>"<em>Beast Boy</em>!"</p><p>"<em>Beast Boy</em>!"</p><p>"<em>Beast Boy</em>..."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Cyborg hummed along with the T-Stereo as they cruised down the road on their way back home. Sure, he was a little bummed that Raven had seriously vetoed his idea to head out clubbing after the movie had ended, but he still chalked the night up as a win. He figured Starfire and Ryouga agreed with him. Sitting in shotgun again, Ryo wore a pleased, if somewhat introspective look on his face. Starfire, for her part, was still giggling excitedly.</p><p>It appeared that only three out of four Titans approved of this outing, though, as in the back seat, Raven was wearing her usual annoyed expression. He'd been keeping an eye on her and she'd been doing an admirable job of keeping her opinion to herself, but-</p><p>"Kung Fu Panda? <em>Really</em>? I mean, we all know that you're a martial artist, but did your movie choice have to revolve around that fact as well?"</p><p>-He didn't think it would last...</p><p>"Says the girl that wanted to see a movie about a <em>demon </em>barber," Cyborg quipped, smirking wickedly.</p><p>Raven levelled her best glare his way with all the intensity of his sonic cannon. "I just <em>happen </em>to be a Tim Burton fan. Is there a <em>problem </em>with that?" The ice in the young woman's voice nearly froze him to his skeletal support frame.</p><p>Ryouga, just receiving the frigid fringes of the Dark Titan's ocular attack, ran his hand through his hair, looking mildly embarrassed. "What? I <em>had</em> to see the movie, just to make sure, you know...?"</p><p>Raven looked like she was about to confirm that she did <em>not</em>, except-</p><p>"They were all <em>so adorable</em>!"</p><p>Starfire could contain her glee no longer. "The fuzzy panda of comically epic martial skill was simply too lovable for any known language, excepting perhaps the language of the Korugarian, to fully capture. I wish to view the movie a second time!"</p><p>The darkly clad Titan scooted away from the vivacious young woman at her side to glare out the car window. "Well, you can count me out. The whole movie was so – so <em>immature.</em>"</p><p>It was Cyborg's turn to roll his eyes. "Pffft. It was a kid's movie, Rae. Sheesh, you sound like one of those award show types, bein all pretentious and stuff."</p><p>Raven shot him a dark look. "I am <em>not </em>pretentious. I just have a more mature taste in entertainment."</p><p>"Oh, come on, Raven," pleaded Ryouga, "That movie was really insightful. I mean, now that I know the secret of the Dragon Scroll, I feel like I've already taken a big step forward as a martial artist." Of course, the guy's retort might have held more weight had he managed to hold a straight face, but Cyborg had to give him credit for trying.</p><p>"Okay, children, that's enough arguing. We're all losing sight of what's important here: How <em>jealous </em>BB is gonna be when he hears we saw that movie without him."</p><p>Almost instantly, the violet eyed Titan perked up. "That <em>is </em>interesting. I still haven't gotten back at Beast Boy for ruining the end of the Sixth Sense for me."</p><p>Cyborg winced; Raven had been <em>livid </em>about that.</p><p>"Please, friend Raven, you must not divulge the pertinent plot points of this most pleasant picture to our friend. I believe he would enjoy the animal masters of kung fu very much."</p><p>Raven's smirk spread out into a dark smile. "<em>Exactly</em>."</p><p>The pleading look on Starfire's face turned to sly contemplation. "But, my <em>dear </em>friend Raven, if you spoil the movie for him, then it would be unlikely that he would desire to accompany myself to a second viewing. Thus, I would have to look <em>elsewhere </em>for a companion to join me."</p><p>The Tamaranean finished with a very pointed stare in the dark Titan's direction.</p><p>Cyborg and Ryouga both did their darnedest to keep from snickering out loud at the poor girl's plight. It was hard, though; it was rare for Starfire to outmaneuver Raven.</p><p>The Raven in question matched the alien's stare for several long seconds, until finally she released a defeated sigh and turned back to gaze back out the window. "That's not fair. I finally think of something fun that <em>I </em>would like to do, and you all say no."</p><p><em>Awww</em>. Now Cyborg felt like a heel. Raven hadn't really had much say in the night's activities. Maybe a compromise was in order. Turning just enough to see the girl out of the corner of his eye (and <em>not </em>get them all killed in a car wreck), he made his offer. "Hey, Rae. How about me and Ryo duct tape Beast Boy to the ceiling for ya?"</p><p>Ryouga started chuckling, even as a thoughtful look bloomed on Raven's face. "...it <em>is </em>tempting, though lacking a certain personal touch."</p><p>Cyborg worked his positronic brain a little harder. "How about we duct tape him to the roof?"</p><p>The sorceress' lips curled up at that. "It <em>does </em>look like it's going to rain soon, doesn't it? I always was a fan of dark and stormy nights."</p><p>"Don't remind me," grumbled Ryouga, glaring up at the dark clouds rolling in above them. "At least Beast Boy gets to <em>choose </em>when he transforms."</p><p>To Cyborg's annoyance, the Lost Boy's bitter comment killed the playful mood that was finally starting to build up again. Immediately, sympathetic looks blossomed on the faces of Starfire and Raven... one much more noticeable than the other.</p><p>"Though it shames me to state it, I had almost forgotten your most tragic condition. We have spent so much time beneath the earth, that your affliction has not been triggered for some time," admitted a red-cheeked Tamaranean.</p><p>Raven nodded. "It must be terrible to have no control over it, no choice in the matter."</p><p>If anything, Ryouga just slumped further into his seat-</p><p>So, being the great guy that he was – Cyborg reached over and punched the guy in the shoulder with enough force to powder concrete.</p><p>"Ow! That really stung! What'd you do that for?"</p><p>The Titanium Titan rolled his eyes. "Stop bein' such a downer, Ryo. Look, it could be worse. I mean, at least you don't turn into a <em>pig </em>no more."</p><p>Even as both girls prepared to lambaste him for his insensitivity, Ryouga made a surprised 'hunh' sound, like he had never thought of that point before. Quickly following that, the fanged boy seemed to withdraw completely, studying the billowing clouds even more intently than Raven had.</p><p>The change in mood was so abrupt that it left the three original Titan's staring at the young man in various states of confusion for the rest of the trip through the city.</p><p>It wasn't until they had finally finished crossing the mammoth bridge which gulfed the city's famous bay, garage door dead ahead and tower looming above, that the silence was broken.</p><p>"Hey, Cyborg, hold up, would you?"</p><p>A little confused, not to mention a bit startled by the sudden request, Cyborg pulled up a few yards short of the garage. He shot the Lost Boy an inquisitive look, only to see an expression on the guy's face which he couldn't quite place.</p><p>"What up, Ryo?"</p><p>Ryouga popped the handle and swung his door open. "Nothing, nothing. I just thought I'd head up to the roof, is all."</p><p>"But, Ryouga, did you not previously state that precipitation was imminent?"</p><p>The fanged fighter turned to smile at the lovely Tamaranean. "I know... but y'know, I just realized... it's been <em>years </em>since I've been able to enjoy the feel of the rain on <em>my </em>face, <em>my </em>hands."</p><p>Raven shot a quizzical look at the Lost One. "But your curse will activate."</p><p>He nodded in agreement. "Pretty much, but at least it'll be <em>my </em>choice this time. Hey, if Ranma can live with it, why can't I?"</p><p>Cyborg chuckled happily. "Now <em>that's </em>the spirit. After all, they might be a bit younger, but they're still your hands, right?"</p><p>Ryouga nodded again, causing a look of understanding to bloom on Raven's face. Soon, a small smile graced the gloomy titan's lips as well. Seeing his two normally dismal friends looking so positive brought a wide grin to Cyborg's lips as well...</p><p>"But, Ryo, seriously, we <em>have </em>an elevator. You don't gotta go all Robin on us and scale the building by hand."</p><p>In response, Ryouga lifted himself out of his seat to stand by the car. "Naw, I'm fine with this. Besides, I could use the exercise."</p><p>"Perhaps I should fly you up?" asked a still somewhat confused looking Starfire. "We would not wish for you to become displaced; also, we could do the chatting concerning the film."</p><p>Cyborg recognized the signs of Ryouga's distress immediately. The young man began running his hand through his hair, even as he started chuckling helplessly. "C'mon, Kori. Even <em>I </em>can figure out <em>straight up</em>. I'll be fine, really."</p><p>"But, perhaps-"</p><p>"Starfire-" Raven's interjection was as abrupt as it was welcome. "-do you know what would really make this night complete? We should ask Kasumi if she would like to... how did you put it again... engage in braiding maneuvers?"</p><p>Cyborg, Raven and Ryouga were all forced to cover their ears lest they be deafened by Starfire's squeal of joy.</p><p>"Oh, yes, Raven! That is a most wondrous idea. Kasumi is <em>most </em>proficient at the..."</p><p>Over the din of the alien's hair-do diatribe, Ryouga shot Raven a look which screamed, 'Thank you'. In return, Raven replied with a small smile which said, in no uncertain terms, 'You owe me more than you could <em>ever </em>know.'</p><p>The Lost Boy then offered Cyborg a quick salute before leaping up and out of sight. The titanium teen leaned out his window to see the crazy martial artist land on the second story ledge, before launching himself up further.</p><p>Cyborg could only shake his head at the display. "What is it about kung fu that makes you lose your mind?"</p><p>In a flash of darkness, Raven teleported into the front seat, only to chuckle wryly. "I don't know, but it certainly can be amusing to watch."</p><p>Starfire, finally realizing that no one was paying attention to her anymore, looked around in confusion. "Whose insanity is it our amusement to observe?"</p><p>The violet haired girl shook her head in amusement. "Take us home, Jeeves."</p><p>Before he complied, he leaned out his window once more to watch the nimble martial artist's accent of the tower. "<em>Maan</em>! Dude is probably getting smudge marks all up my beautiful tower! Starfire is gonna be up there all day tomorrow with a bottle of Windex."</p><p>"Indeed, I... wait, why must <em>I </em>be the one to do such cleansing?" Starfire levelled a challenging glare to the front seat.</p><p>Raven shrugged before replying. "Well, <em>I </em>don't do windows, and I doubt Kasumi would appreciate dangling from the roof in a harness, so that leaves you."</p><p>Cyborg finally coasted the T-Car the rest of the way into the garage, heading for his usual parking spot. "Heh, I dunno, Rae. Kasumi <em>does </em>love cleaning. Maybe extreme cleaning is the next step?"</p><p>The cloaked Titan sent a sly smile his way. "You know, if I didn't know that you liked her, I'd say you were being a chauvinist."</p><p>Instantly, his human cheek blushed red and he pumped the brake a little harder than intended. The sudden stop sent both females lurching forward in their seats.</p><p>"I-I don't know what you're talkin' 'bout, Rae!"</p><p>The second he issued his stuttering denial, Starfire's eyes grew to nearly double their size, trying to drown him in twin seas of emerald. "Is this <em>true</em>, friend Cyborg? Do you harbor the – the <em>fondness </em>for Tendo Kasumi?"</p><p>Cyborg groaned for all he was worth before shooting his best death glare at Raven. "<em>Not </em>that it's any of your business, but my feelings for Kasumi are <em>purely </em>professional. She's my student and I'm her teacher, so there's no more there than there is between <em>Robin </em>and Kasumi."</p><p>Even as Raven's eyes glittered with cynical mischief, Starfire's face fell like a satellite from orbit. "Oh... I see. So, you share the same feelings for Kasumi that Robin does..."</p><p>At the incredibly odd tone in the girl's voice, Cyborg and Raven shared a brief look before turning their stares on the flame haired alien in the back seat. Not exactly sure what she had meant, the bulky teen could only nod uncertainly. "Um, yeah... I guess so. T-there ain't nothing wrong with that, is there?"</p><p>In a most impressive display of bi-polarism in action, Starfire made an emotional about-face, going from Ryouga's Shi shi Houkodan to Beast Boy's 'I finally beat you, Cyborg!' victory dance, in the blink of an eye.</p><p>"Of course not, friend Cyborg! You are absolutely correct, it is of no vocation of mine whom my teammates harbor affection for – and now we are securely docked in the vehicular maintenance bay, so we should terminate this pointless conversation immediately and make our way into the tower!"</p><p>The Tamaranean’s speech rose in pitch and pace so rapidly, that Cyborg barely even noticed the fact that, by the time Starfire had uttered the final words, she was already out of the car and halfway to the elevator.</p><p>He and Raven shared another confused glance. The darker Titan's eyebrow rose quizzically. "What just happened here? I thought we were supposed to be teasing you?"</p><p>He shrugged in reply. "Beats me, but I know better than to look a gift horse in the mouth."</p><p>His companion made a cute little 'hmph' sound, obviously disappointed at being denied her prey, then teleported out of the vehicle. Somewhat more constrained by the laws of physics than she, Cyborg was forced to open his door to get out before he was able to rejoin pair of females at the elevator.</p><p>Thankfully, at the very least, Starfire had held the door for them, though the alien was whistling innocently to herself and spending an inordinate amount of attention on the glowing panel of numbered buttons.</p><p>Again, Cyborg shrugged at the strange behavior. Considering who it was, strange was pretty much the norm. And, of course, being smart enough to <em>not </em>bring up the topic of the lovely older Tendo woman, Cyborg was more than happy to let the rest of the ride up pass in silence.</p><p>When they finally hit the main room, though, it was almost pitch black.</p><p>"Huh," he elucidated quickly. He was a second away from declaring their teammates already in bed, until he noticed the soft glow of the television at the far side of the massive room. The quiet sounds of music, mixed liberally with girlish giggling (some of which sounded like Beast Boy's) suffused the air.</p><p>As one, Cyborg and his entourage made their way to the couch. Even through the darkness, he could make out the familiar silhouettes of Robin, Beast Boy and Kasumi contrasting sharply with the colorful television screen. It appeared that the trio was watching what appeared to be a –</p><p>"Oh no, I am <em>not </em>watching another inane animated Disney movie," Raven stated plainly.</p><p>The three seated Titans must not have heard their entrance, as all of them jumped slightly at Raven's stark declaration. Robin, Beast Boy, and Kasumi all quickly turned to stare at them.</p><p>"Hey, you guys are finally back!" exclaimed Beast Boy.</p><p>Raven rolled her violet eyes. "<em>Obviously</em>. Now, whose idea was it to watch... this..."</p><p>The cloaked Titan's words trailed off to nothing as a new figure rose from where she had apparently been lying between the changeling and the medical student. The blonde-haired girl dropped an arm across the back of the couch as she turned to face them.</p><p>"Ah, come on, Raven. Are you telling me you never wanted to have a <em>Fantasia</em> party?"</p><p>"...Terra?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"Heh, that's my name. "</p><p>Terra pasted the biggest smile on her face that she was capable of. It wasn't <em>too </em>hard; she was definitely happy to see Cyborg and Starfire. Those two had been almost as close to and supportive of her as Beast Boy.</p><p>However, an equally large part of her was quailing internally at the mildly surprised looking girl wearing the dark cloak. Of all her battles, <em>that </em>had been the most vicious, the most personal. Even as she sat there quipping away with the violet eyed Titan, all she could see was Raven's terrified face being swallowed down into an ocean of mud...</p><p>Quickly shaking off that disturbing mental image, Terra turned her attention back to the trio before her.</p><p>"You know, you guys sure look surprised to – <em>urk</em>!"</p><p>The rest of her observation was cut short as Cyborg grabbed her left arm, Starfire grabbed her right arm, and together they pulled her over the couch with all the effort one might exert in the picking of a flower.</p><p>"<em>Terra</em>!" "<em>Terra</em>!" exclaimed the pair in surround sound.</p><p>Knowing that any second the two would begin jockeying for position, she cut them off and leaned forward to give Starfire a quick hug.</p><p>"Hey now, calm down guys! You don't want to crush me just as I'm getting better?" she asked teasingly.</p><p>She then leaned over and wrapped her arms (as far around as they would go, anyway) around Cyborg, hugging the big lug as well. Then, getting a little caught up in the moment, she leaned over to give the next person in line a hug to boot-</p><p>Raven's flat stare pulled her up short on <em>that </em>score. Terra stood awkwardly for a moment, caught in the aborted hug, and likely looking like a complete goof in front of the somber Titan.</p><p>"Umm, hey there, Raven..."</p><p>Raven nodded, once. "Terra."</p><p>Thankfully, before the moment could get even <em>more </em>horribly uncomfortable, Terra found herself airborne once more. This time, she found herself thrust down into one of the chairs around the Kitchen table, Cyborg and Starfire magically present at her sides.</p><p>"When di-""It is <em>glor</em>-""Why didn't you <em>ca</em>-""How are you fee-""This is <em>so </em>grea-"I must prepare the pudding of jo-"</p><p>Terra's eyes bounced back and forth like ping pong balls as the two excited Teens trampled all over each other's words, trying to pump her for information. The fact she could only hear every other word made it difficult to answer, but she still tried her best, though.</p><p>"Ummm, a few hours ago. It's good to see you too, Starfire. I didn't want to ruin your evening. A little stiff... and that sounds great!" The waifish blonde gulped for air, but a feeling of nostalgia warmed her heart as she glanced at her friends smiling faces. Oh, if only it would last...</p><p>It was about then that Beast Boy materialized at the table and instantly the three Titans exploded into a flurry of questioning and well wishing. It was all that Terra could do to get a word in edgewise, despite the fact everyone was talking to her.</p><p>She still couldn't shake the feeling of soul numbing guilt that was gnawing away at her stomach as she sat there, pretending like nothing had happened. What was wrong with these people? She had tried to <em>destroy </em>them! The only person acting sane was Raven, and even then, that was pretty much how she'd acted when Terra had <em>first </em>arrived.</p><p>It was also hard to pay attention, as her eyes continued to subtly scan across the room. She didn't know who she was looking for, though she had a strange feeling she would know him if she saw him. Even as she did her best to keep up with the ongoing conversational onslaught, a single question kept running through her mind.</p><p>What do you say to the complete stranger that saved your life?</p><p>It was an odd question, coming from a superhero, she supposed. Saving complete strangers had pretty much been her bread and butter for the longest time... but this just seemed to go so far beyond stopping a building from collapsing on someone. He hadn't just saved her, whoever this Ryouga person was, he'd – he'd brought her <em>back</em>.</p><p>She felt terrible for not focusing on the friends surrounding her, but as much as she appreciated the Titan's kindness, it was just too much, too soon. The smile she wore kept trying to slither off her face; all she could see were phantom faces filled with grief, anger, or betrayal-</p><p>"Oh my, wherever did Ryouga get off to?"</p><p>Terra let out a tremendous breath of relief as everyone's attention was drawn to the blissfully unhaunted face of the Tendo woman. The geokinetic did her best to keep all her attention on Kasumi while she waited for the answer; on the one face in the room that didn't cause her insides to twist up on themselves with guilt.</p><p>"Our dear friend has expressed a desire to perch upon the roof of the tower. Provided he arrived at his destination, he should be there presently," explained Starfire in a somewhat put-out tone.</p><p>For some reason, Robin shot a quizzical look out the massive bay windows, as if confirming something. "Really? But it looks like it's going to rain soon."</p><p>Then, even more perplexingly, Raven of all people, smiled a secret little smile that Terra was certain she'd never seen before.</p><p>"Exactly," stated the darkest Titan in a tone even stranger than her smile.</p><p>Apparently, Terra wasn't the only one confused by that little exchange, as Beast Boy spun on Raven. "What the heck is <em>that </em>supposed to mean?"</p><p>Terra couldn't help but agree. "Yeah, what's the big deal about being on the roof in the rain?"</p><p>She forgot that her friends were city types that hadn't spent a good part of their lives getting caught in the rain while walking from one city to the next.</p><p>Except that her mundane question didn't have the effect she thought it would. Instantly, everyone clammed up and spun to look at her. Expressions which screamed 'Big Secret Right Here' were plastered all over their faces... except for Kasumi.</p><p>The lovely woman still wore that serene smile of hers. "Why don't you ask him<em>?</em>" suggested the tall brunette leadingly.</p><p>Terra felt shock flash through her as she stared at Kasumi. Had the seemingly sweet and harmless woman seen through her façade so easily? The blonde began to fidget nervously-</p><p>"I imagine you must be eager to thank Ryouga for doing so much to help you," continued Kasumi, apparently oblivious to Terra's exploding anxiety.</p><p>Taking a second to calm down, Terra nodded a little uncertainly. "Ah... yeah, actually..."</p><p>"Alright!" Beast Boy cheered excitedly. "I'll take you up and introduce you to the big goof."</p><p>Terra stared at the handsome young man. She was almost tempted to accept his offer; he was the one person that she was closer to than anyone... but that just made it all the more painful to see those phantom flashes of betrayal crossing over his face.</p><p>"Um, actually, I was kind of hoping to talk to him alone for a bit, Beast Boy. There are some things I'd like to ask him."</p><p>The crestfallen look that descended on the changeling's face almost made her change her mind. Unexpectedly, it was Raven that came to her rescue.</p><p>"<em>Please</em>, Beast Boy. She's only going to the roof. She'll be back in no time... provided she doesn't let Ryouga lead her anywhere."</p><p>Inexplicably, everyone around began to chuckle or giggle respectively, again leaving the recently comatose hero afloat in a sea of confusion.</p><p>"What's <em>that </em>supposed to mean?"</p><p>Even as everyone else quickly stifled their laughter, Raven turned that mysterious smile in her direction. <em>Had she ever smiled at me before?...Not that I can remember.</em></p><p>"It is Ryouga's place to tell you, not ours…  But I have a feeling you won't have much trouble gaining his confidence."</p><p><em>What was up with her</em>? Raven acting halfway nice to her was creepier than the way she normally acted. All she could do was stare at the cloaked woman, before just shrugging and shooting her an odd look.</p><p>"<em>O</em>-kaay, then." And with that, the narrow-framed girl made her way to the stairs... quickly reconsidered and altered her course to the elevator. It <em>was </em>a tall tower after all.</p><p>Even as the small metal box shot her up towards the apex of the building, all she could think about was this <em>Ryouga </em>person. From what Beast Boy had told her, the first image that popped into her head was Ryu from Street Fighter. Some huge, grim faced guy with muscles literally bursting through his clothing. Honestly, she hoped that wasn't the case, super muscley guys just looked weird to her.</p><p>Conversely, from what Kasumi had told her, he was some kind of shy, stammering, gentle soul, with big puppy dog eyes to boot. How this sweet, caring (and let's face it, a little girly) sounding person could match up with Beast Boy's Kung Fu death machine, she had no idea.</p><p>The gentle ding of the elevator reaching the roof drew her out of her reverie. The doors then slid open to reveal the dark, cloudy night sky. She took a moment to steel her resolve. <em>Well, only one way to find out</em>.</p><p>As soon as she took a single step from the relative safety of the elevator, mischievous winds began to play through her long blonde hair. For just a moment, she stopped. All she could do was relish the feel of the wind on her face, enjoy the sweet sensation of the zephyrs running their fingers through her tresses.</p><p>Maybe to her mind it had only been several hours since her battle with Slade, but her body seemed to realize just how long it had been removed from the world. She enjoyed the simple pleasure of simply being alive for another minute, staring at the billowing clouds tumbling in her direction, before finally resuming her search for her quarry.</p><p>It didn't take too long to find what she was looking for. The large, onyx circle of an umbrella cut a pretty vivid silhouette against the distant lightning. The person holding the umbrella (was that really smart in a lightning storm?) was only visible from the waist down. Though she could tell his back was to her, his umbrella was tilted back to block most of her view of him.</p><p>She decided, then and there, that she wanted to make a good impression on this strangely familiar stranger. She'd been feeling so guilty and mopey since waking up, so hesitant and worried about saying the wrong things to the people she had betrayed so cruelly. But whoever this person was, he was a fresh start for her. She didn't know him, hadn't hurt him, so maybe, just maybe, he could be her friend too.</p><p>Casually, she sidled up beside young man. Deciding to play it cool, she kept looking straight ahead into the coming storm.</p><p>"Hey there, the name's Terra."</p><p>Apparently, the guy must have heard her coming, since he didn't jump at all. Rather, he replied with a softly amused tone, containing only the barest hint of some kind of accent. "Ryouga... heh, I had a feeling you wouldn't be able to sleep for too long."</p><p>Terra giggled, finally turning to face her rescuer. He looked down at her as well, and she felt her breath catch for just a second as she imagined what he might look like...</p><p>A second later, her breathing resumed. The young man before her wasn't some scarred action hero, nor was he some soulful, simpering pretty boy. He was... just a guy. A cute guy, sure, but he looked like he could have been any one of a hundred people she had passed by on her travels.</p><p><em>Hmm, wait a second</em>. She wasn't sure what it was, but she got an odd feeling for some reason. Her look shifted to impish amusement as she stared up at the bandanna clad youth.</p><p>"Did you <em>really</em>? Or are you just trying to sound all wise to be cool?"</p><p>Embarrassed chuckles filled the air as the young man ran a hand through his hair in a simply adorable manner. "Heh, is it that obvious?"</p><p>Taking a half step closer to him (just to use him as a wind break, that was all) she smiled happily. "It is to me. Not that you need to worry. I mean, you saved my <em>life</em>. You're pretty much already as cool as you can get in my eyes."</p><p>He returned her smile with a fanged grin. He then shifted his umbrella slightly, moving the canopy to cover her more fully as the storm clouds continued to roll in. Without thinking, she accepted his implied offer and shuffled closer until their shoulders were nearly brushing.</p><p>"Really?" asked an amused Ryouga. "I figured you'd be tired of my company after all this time."</p><p>Terra looked at the fanged boy oddly. "Umm, but this is the first time we've ever spoken."</p><p>Her companion donned a sheepish expression that she found to be extremely endearing. "Actually, we've talked a lot over the past few weeks... this is just the first time you've talked back.  You know, your voice sounds almost exactly like I imagined it."</p><p>Though she wasn't exactly sure why, the geokinetic felt a flush of heat rush to her cheeks. She looked up at the martial artist out of the corner of her eye, watching in fascination as he gazed intently at the storm before them. There was an odd look of anticipation on his face for some reason.</p><p>After a long, comfortable moment, she decided to break the silence. "There are so many things I want to ask you."</p><p>Ryouga tore his eyes away from the boiling black clouds to stare gently down at her. "I'll do my best to answer whatever questions you have."</p><p>That stumped her for a second. Well, it was true there were a thousand and one questions swirling in her head, but it all seemed to boil down to a single question that she needed answered more than anything else.</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>The martial artist was taken aback for a moment and she half expect a 'why, what?' coming, but then understanding dawned on his face.</p><p>Absently, his gaze drifted back to the coming storm. "Why... such a small word for such a big question."</p><p>She waited expectantly as he organized his thoughts.</p><p>"I... well, it's kind of hard to explain, really. I'm not that great with words, you see, but I'll try." He drew in a deep breath of the cool night air. "I guess there were a lot of reasons, really. I did it to make Beast Boy happy... to make Cologne proud... to rescue a stranger from a fate worse than death..."</p><p>The tall man at her side chuckled in a self depreciating manner that confused her to no end.</p><p>"It all sounds pretty good, right? All noble and selfless?"</p><p>She nodded slowly, even though his eyes were still locked on the clouds above them.</p><p>"Sadly, I'm not that kind of guy. Like most things in my life, I ended up doing the right thing for the wrong reasons... or the wrong thing for the right reason; one of those two for sure."</p><p>Finally, he turned his gaze back down on her, his eyes filled with emotions that resonated right down to the core of Terra's being at that second. Pain and guilt, those were things she could understand better than anyone in the world at that moment.</p><p>"In the end," he continued quietly, "I really did it for myself, I suppose. I... I saw so <em>much </em>of myself in you, the pain you've endured, the loneliness, the bitterness. Both of us are wanderer's, no family to speak of, barely a handful of friends in the entire world."</p><p>Terra nodded somberly, a chill having nothing to do with the wind seeping into her bones. If Ryouga noticed, he gave no sign, just continued to stare into her soul with those piercing brown eyes.</p><p>"Finding it so hard to trust anyone after a life on the road, only to have that trust dashed so casually when we finally dare to offer it. Running away from our problems or hiding them behind a wall of anger and resentment. Lashing out at the people that actually cared for us, because we were too blind to see it..."</p><p>Every word made Terra feel smaller and colder than the last. The only thing keeping her from lashing out and telling him to shut up (man, he'd called that one, hadn't he?) was the sense of pure understanding that was radiating from the young man's eyes. She had, over the years, heard the term 'kindred spirit' bandied around before, but she'd never given it any real thought before... but now...</p><p>Abruptly Ryouga broke his gaze away from hers, a mirthless laugh escaping his lips. "There's only one real difference between you and me. You may have turned on the Titans, but in the end... in the end, you saved them all; though it cost you everything, you saved the whole city and redeemed yourself."</p><p>The fanged boy's heavy gaze fell towards his slippered feet.</p><p>"I... didn't."</p><p>Words failed to come to the blonde geokinetic. So, instead, she gently twisted her fingers into the rough material of his sleeve and tugged until he raised his eyes to match her own once more. The bleak expression hung on his face for a long second before another bark of mirthless laughter filled the air.</p><p>"I guess what I'm really trying to say, is that when I was trying to save you, I was really just trying to save myself... just – just a <em>better </em>myself."</p><p>"A <em>better </em>yourself?" she parroted quizzically.</p><p>A gentle sigh. "Terra, when the whole world was collapsing down around you, you found something inside of yourself that gave you the strength to do the right thing. When I was placed in a similar situation, I was ultimately found wanting."</p><p>She gasped when she noticed a drop of water trail down his cheek.</p><p>"Not only did I break, I broke so <em>spectacularly</em> that I nearly killed everyone I ever cared about. Heh, I can still imagine the headline: Jump City sinks into the Bay because a young man couldn't <em>take it</em> anymore."</p><p>He turned back to face her, a strained look in his eyes.</p><p>"It just seemed so unfair to me. I mean, what kind of justice <em>is </em>that? You do the right thing, save everyone, and end up a statue; while <em>I </em>get to survive after coming within a hair's width of wiping out everyone I know?" He shook his head solemnly. "No – no, when all was said and done, you needed to be saved... because – because if someone so much better than me didn't have someone looking out for them, then what the hell kind of chance do <em>I </em>have?"</p><p>A hush filled the air for a long moment, interrupted only by the gentle pitter patter of raindrops on the umbrella over their heads. Just as fascinated by her own footwear as her companion was, it was finally Terra that broke the heavy silence.</p><p>"I'm not better than you..."</p><p>Ryouga snorted not-quite-derisively. "You don't need to patronize me."</p><p>She glared heatedly at the grim male. "It's not like that!"</p><p>This time his response was a cynical grunt. It annoyed the thin geokinetic enough that she slugged him in the shoulder... though she regretted that decision instantly. <em>Sheesh, does this guy carry metal plates in his pockets?</em></p><p>"Look, I don't know what it is you did," she exclaimed, "Beast Boy and Kasumi tried their best to tell me what kind of guy you were, but they never really told me about any of the stuff you've done. But none of that matters to <em>me</em>! I don't know what you did, who you might have hurt, and I don't have a clue how you could have possibly even come close to destroying the whole city, but I do know one thing for sure."</p><p>She took a step forward and turned to make sure that he had no choice but to meet her gaze. She could feel the ticklish tingle of raindrops splashing across the back of her exposed heels as she stood at the very fringe of the umbrella's protective radius but didn't even spare the sensation a second thought.</p><p>"You <em>saved </em>me. You saved <em>me</em>. The traitor, the villain, the monster. There are probably a thousand people in this city that would have taken a sledgehammer to my statue if they'd known about it, after all the things I did. Ten times that number probably thought that being turned to stone was a fitting punishment for what I'd done and would have been happy to see things stay that way."</p><p>She offered him a weak, but sincere smile. "But you, someone that never even knew me, you took the time to see beyond all that. Whatever reasons you may have had, you decided that I deserved a second chance and you... you gave me back my life."</p><p>Playfully bouncing her knuckles off his chin, her smile grew wider. "If that doesn't make you a good guy, then I don't know what does. And I'm <em>not </em>going to take no for an answer, <em>got it</em>?"</p><p>She finished with a pointed stare that would make females the world round swell with pride.</p><p>Apparently Ryouga was well versed in being on the receiving end of female ire, as he nodded quickly in capitulation. He even went so far as to offer her a weak grin, one of his oversized canines peeking out teasingly. "Heh, I guess we can call it a draw, then."</p><p>She nodded positively, heartened at the small grin twisting his lips. "Now, enough of that grim stuff. You and I are gonna be friends, whether you like it or not, so cheer up already."</p><p>Her companion shook his head in amusement at her righteous demand. "I can hardly say no to that, now can I?"</p><p>It felt kind of odd, acting so cheerful with this person. No, the odd part was that she wasn't 'acting' at all. When he'd started falling into his personal well of despair, she could almost feel herself being dragged along with him. However, now that his spirits were lifting, she felt her own flagging mood begin to rise as well.</p><p>She remembered feeling this way before, so long ago, when she had first met the Titans. The hopeful optimism of meeting people that had a chance of understanding her. She'd completely ruined that wondrous bond she'd forged with Beast Boy and his friends, and despite what Ryouga said, didn't feel at all like she'd made up for her past mistakes.</p><p>It would be impossible to tell how long it would take before she finally felt like she deserved the forgiveness that the Titans had so freely given... but with this person, this <em>Ryouga</em>... she didn't feel anything like that at all. Maybe it was just selfish, simply turning her head to the side to look to this new, flawed companion, rather than crane her neck looking up at her perfect friends.</p><p>Was it just her, or were the Titans drawing heavily on the ex-villain community to fill their ranks?</p><p>There was just one thing bothering her.</p><p>"You know," she stated, fixing him with another pointed stare. "You really have me at a disadvantage here. You sound like you know all there is to know about me, but I hardly know anything about you besides your name and what Kasumi told me. I think if we're gonna be friends, here, that you need to tell me something about yourself."</p><p>Her companion scratched his chin in consideration. "Hmmm, well... I <em>guess </em>that sounds fair. So, what did you want to know, then?"</p><p>Again, a thousand and one questions ran through her head. 'Where were you born?', 'What's your favorite color?', 'Which of Starfire's recipes is your favorite?', 'Do you have a girlfriend?'</p><p>She quickly shook her head to rid it of that last errant thought. <em>That </em>was assuredly <em>none </em>of her business. She was only glad that it was the middle of the night so the burning of her cheeks would only be known to herself. So, instead, she just latched onto the last thing she could think of. Turning back to face Ryouga, she asked the question which had been haunting her since just before coming up the stairs.</p><p>"So, why are you standing up on the roof in the middle of a rainstorm, anyways?"</p><p>Despite the rather innocuous nature of her question, it had an effect that was as startling as it was stark. Instantly, Ryouga tensed up like he'd been stuck with a cattle prod. The young man quickly looked around, panic in his eyes, as if he'd just realized something very, very, very important which had slipped his mind up until that point. Confused, Terra gazed out into the heavy rain that was coming down all around them, fat drops of water falling within just a few inches of her face...but she couldn't see anything that would have evoked such a reaction.</p><p>"Heh, heh... heh," chuckled the fanged boy weakly. "You know... I – I actually <em>forget </em>why I'm up here... yeah. W-why don't we head back downstairs – quickly."</p><p>Something seemed kind of odd about his response, but Terra shrugged easily. Sure, she would have liked to stand out in the rain a little longer; it was so invigorating, especially considering how tired she was feeling, but then again, sitting on a warm, soft couch also had its own merits.</p><p>With movements that she wouldn't <em>quite </em>call frantic, Ryouga turned about and began to head back to the elevator, umbrella still held up protectively between them. With the idea of a warm couch and a fluffy blanket now firmly entrenched in her mind, Terra quickly turned to follow suit –</p><p>Which was pretty much the exact moment that her legs decided they'd had just about as much of this being stood on crap as they were gonna take. Perhaps standing on the roof, in the chill September air, just hours after being revived from being a statue hadn't been a great idea<em>, </em>Terra lamented as her narrow legs buckled and gave way beneath her.</p><p>Luckily, falling face first onto a soaking wet roof would not be her fate this night. With reflexes just as fast as Beast Boy had boasted, her companion reached out to catch her faltering form mere seconds after her loss of equilibrium. The ebony umbrella slid from his hand as he did.</p><p>And just like that, her (very unlikely traumatic) fall ceased, and a second after that, she felt the rain begin to soak through her clothes. Feeling terribly embarrassed for getting them caught in the rain just seconds away from the elevator after spending so long on the roof without getting wet, she turned to offer Ryouga a sheepish grin...</p><p>Ryouga returned her grin with a classic 'deer caught in the headlights' expression. She wondered what was up with... him...</p><p>It took her about three seconds to process the information that her eyes were feeding to her brain.</p><p>But only a single second to faint dead away.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p><em>Well, that went about as well as possible, </em>Ryouga groused to himself. That had been about as predictable as the sun, really. And for that matter, why had he even considered trying to hide his curse again?</p><p>With a grunt of annoyance, he flipped back onto his bed to stare at the ceiling hanging above him. Despite the fact that he had 'lived' there for months now, the plain white ceiling was still as foreign to him as his parent's dining room.</p><p>Of course, that might have had something to do with him spending most of his time down in a cave. Unfortunately, he doubted anyone would be so generous as to walk him down there every night to sleep. Besides, it probably wouldn't be nearly so comfortable without Terra down there to keep him company anymore.</p><p>Speaking of tiny little blonde heroes, Ryouga counted himself lucky that most of Terra's fainting spell had been attributed to exhaustion, rather than shock. He didn't even want to imagine how much worse Beast Boy's revenge would be if that hadn't been the case.</p><p>Not that he imagined, even for a second, that Beast Boy's revenge for him causing Terra to faint wasn't going to be terrible... but, hey, it could have been worse, right?</p><p>All of which left him where he was: lying awake in bed, with nothing to do but wait in dreadful anticipation. Absently, he popped his communicator out of his pocket, if only to stop the damn thing from digging into his side in such an annoying manner.</p><p><em>I wish there was something to do</em>, he lamented.</p><p>Sure, it was well after midnight, but he just wasn't feeling tired. Probably something to do with drinking over a gallon of caffeinated soda back at the movies. Idly, he began flipping his communicator over and over in his hands. The alternating patterns of yellow and black were almost hypnotizing.</p><p>
  <em>Wasn't there something I was supposed to do tonight?</em>
</p><p>The errant thought caught him by surprise, but as soon as it did, that niggling feeling that he'd forgotten something bloomed quite blatantly in his mind. Now he <em>knew </em>he was forgetting something.</p><p>
  <em>But what could it bee?</em>
</p><p>That brought the Lost Boy up short. 'What could it <em>bee</em>?' Now why the heck would he have thought that? He looked at his H.I.V.E. communicator again. That was silly, thinking 'bee' instead of 'be'.</p><p>
  <em>Heh, bee, be... be, bee... BB?</em>
</p><p>Instantly, hand met forehead in a meaty smack. He let out a groan of disgust; he'd <em>totally </em>forgotten that he was supposed to call Bumblebee.</p><p>Should he still call her? It was pretty late, but then she <em>was </em>a superhero. It wasn't like their kind kept regular hours. <em>Meh, what the heck. What's one more girl being annoyed with me?</em></p><p>Soon enough, his communicator was open and beeping in wait of someone picking up at the other end. He wasn't left waiting long as the familiar face of the lovely bee themed woman filled the screen. It only took a second for recognition to fill those big brown eyes.</p><p>"Hey, Ryo. I was starting to think you stood me up, here."</p><p>Ryouga grinned his fanged grin. "And risk getting on your bad side? I may be reckless, but I'm not suicidal. So, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"</p><p>Bumblebee's playful expression dimmed noticeably at his inquiry. She quickly replaced it with a serious gaze aimed in his direction.</p><p>"Actually, I wanted to ask you if you've seen Jinx at all lately."</p><p>The Lost One could only stare at his communicator for several long seconds. The question was so out of the blue that it completely threw him for a loop. "W-what? Why are <em>you </em>asking <em>me</em>? I mean, you're the one fighting with Nabiki over there. Jinx left with them, didn't she?"</p><p>His dark-skinned companion looked at him in confusion, until understanding suddenly lit up her face. "Oh, <em>right</em>! You were totally out of it when that happened, weren't you?"</p><p>He shot her a sardonic look. "To the best of my memory, yes."</p><p>Rolling her eyes in that penultimate female mannerism, Bumblebee stuck her tongue out at him. "Don't be smart, Ryo, it doesn't suit you. Man, I can't believe no one bothered telling you. Nabiki told everyone that Jinx <em>wasn't </em>gonna be on her team. The girl might have left with them, but Jinx isn't with them anymore."</p><p>Ryouga's eyes widened at the news. It sure didn't sound like a shocking revelation, Jinx going her own way, but for a reason he couldn't explain, even to himself, Bumblebee's statement struck right to his core.</p><p>"J-Jinx <em>isn't</em> on Nabiki's team?" It felt odd to ask the question, since the very notion of Nabiki's team had only been a vague concept in the back of his mind until Bumblebee herself had mentioned fighting them earlier that evening. "But, if she's not with them, then where is she?"</p><p>The tiny representation of Bumblebee shrugged. "No one knows... Well, I haven't had the chance to ask Nabiki or anything, but no one I <em>work</em> with knows. It's like the girl dropped off the face of the planet."</p><p>Ryouga wavered for a moment, before squaring his shoulders and setting his face straight. "Well, be that as it may, I'm not sure what that has to do with me."</p><p>It was his lovely companion's turn to don a shocked expression. "<em>Ryouga Hibiki</em>! How could you even <em>say </em>that? That girl would have stolen the moon for you!"</p><p>His grim demeanor slipped for a moment. "Well, if anyone could..." He quickly shook his head. "Hey! <em>She</em> was the one that left me, remember?"</p><p>"But did you even <em>consider </em>that she might have had a r<em>eason </em>for doing that?"</p><p>The sudden question cut into his angry rant, causing his jaw to click shut. He stared at the young woman for another moment. "...You know, you're starting to sound a lot like Ranma. Why <em>is </em>this so important to you guys, anyway?"</p><p>He could see the bee clad girl fidget around uncomfortably before she could finally look him in the eye again. "Look, Ryo, Cyborg's been telling me how you kinda got a thing for Raven going on-"</p><p>He prepared to offer up his standard, sputtering denial-</p><p>"-<em>But</em>, but can you honestly tell me that she needs you more than Jinx does?"</p><p>Ryouga did his best impression of a deer in headlights (second time that night, not bad, even for him). "Huh?"</p><p>Bumblebee sighed loudly. "It's not that I have anything against Raven. It's just, well, that Jinx is a friend, <em>our </em>friend, and I was hoping that you might have been able to bring her around, save her from herself, y'know?"</p><p>Despite himself, Ryouga found himself smirking fondly. "The Jinx <em>I </em>know has <em>never</em> needed saving, and I'd be the last person to want to change her..." He released a resigned sigh. "I still don't know why <em>Ranma </em>cares so much about this, but you two <em>are </em>right. Despite everything, and no matter how much I try to tell myself otherwise, I <em>do </em>miss her. She – she deserves so much better than what fate dealt her..."</p><p>It was his companion's turn to smile fondly. "She isn't the only one. This isn't all about her, you know? I want you to be happy too, Ryouga. I just happen to think that the odds of happiness are higher with vivacious, slightly unbalanced femme fatales, than they are with gloomy, reclusive bookworms."</p><p>One of Ryouga's eyebrows quirked upwards. "I thought you said you didn't have anything against Raven."</p><p>Coughing uncomfortably into her hand, Bumblebee's gaze wandered all around the perimeter of the tiny view screen. "Of <em>course </em>I don't. I mean, it's not like she effortlessly pounded XL and me into the ground back in the Martial Arts Obstacle Race... I mean, I'd have to be pretty unprofessional to hold a grudge over something silly like that..."</p><p>The Lost Boy began chuckling, even as his companion finally broke down into girlish giggles. "Well, just so long as I know your opinion isn't biased. Hmm, you know, now that I think of it, I might just know a person that might be able to point me in the right direction to find Jinx."</p><p>Bumblebee burst into laughter instantly. "Wow, this guy must be <em>amazing </em>if he can point <em>you </em>in the right direction!"</p><p>"<em>BB...</em>" growled the fanged martial artist.</p><p>"Sorry, sorry, it was just too easy to pass up."</p><p>Annoyed now, he fired a mild glare at the giggler. "Look, I'm only doing this because Jinx was our friend. I can't make any guarantees that I'll even be able to find her, or how she'll feel if I do. Remember, though, that Raven is my friend too, and I'm not going to turn my back on her for 'what if's'."</p><p>Bumblebee shot him a pointed look. "Hey, now. I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life. I'm just giving some friendly advi-"</p><p>"<strong><em>Bonzai!</em></strong>"</p><p>In an explosion of motion, the bedroom door flew open and a flurry of spherical projectiles came flying in the Lost Boy's direction. Acting on reflex, his arm shot out to deflect the attack-</p><p>Which only served to burst the salvo of water balloons even more dramatically. H2O splashed everywhere, soaking the walls, the carpets, the bedspread... and, of course, Ryouga himself.</p><p>With a growl roughly three octaves to high to be anything but adorable rumbling in his throat, the pint sized Hibiki could only stare at his communicator in shock. The loss of a good ten years was likely the only thing stopping said communicator from being crushed into the electronic equivalent of diamond.</p><p>On the distant end of the communiqué, his lovely companion struggled vainly to stop herself from bursting into uproarious laughter.</p><p>"W-what the <em>heck </em>was <em>that </em>about-" Bumblebee must have seen the familiar signs of his temper about to snap messily all over Beast Boy's hide, because she quickly amended, "-You know what, you can tell me later. Go kick that grass stain's butt already."</p><p>Ryouga was only too happy to comply.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Battling off a wave of grogginess, Terra opened her sapphire eyes, only to immediately regret it, as several treacherous lances of sunlight chose that exact moment to assault her. Muttering a minor curse at the evil, sleep depriving sustained fusion reaction in the sky; she quickly flipped away from the window and pulled her blanket over her head...</p><p><em>Wait a sec... Blanket? </em>Opening her eyes again, the ensuing darkness confirmed that she did, indeed have a blanket pulled over her head.</p><p>Well, that was odd. She didn't even remember going to bed; the last thing she remembered was...</p><p>"<em>Aw maaan</em>!" she groaned in embarrassment. Tearing the blanket from her head, Terra sat up and slapped a hand to her forehead. "I <em>fainted</em>?"</p><p>"Like a Southern Belle!" came Beast Boy's helpful voice.</p><p>She groaned again. "I can't <em>believe </em>I <em>fainted</em>! I'm a geokinetic superhero that hangs out with aliens and robots! How could I have fainted from <em>that</em>?"</p><p>"Don't forget <em>actual </em>shape shifters," Beast boy reminded her, "Don't worry, though. Robin and Kasumi said it was mostly fatigue and junk. All Ryo did was just give you that little push over the edge."</p><p>Terra considered that, before letting out a small sigh. "Well, it's still pretty embarrassing. I..." She trailed off as she finally unburied her face from her hands and turned to regard her companion.</p><p>"What the heck happened to <em>you</em>?" she asked incredulously.</p><p>Contrary to her assumption, the changeling wasn't sitting in the chair by her bed. Instead, he was occupying the next bed over. Various bruises and bandages were visible, and Beast Boy winced a bit as he offered her a sheepish grin.</p><p>"Beast Boy apparently chose to avenge your fainting spell," supplied a perky Kasumi. The woman, who was currently standing by a large, complicated looking machine, turned to look at them and tapped a graceful finger to her chin. "I must say, it was a rare lapse in judgment on your part Gar – um, Beast Boy."</p><p>Terra couldn't help but giggle at <em>that </em>statement. She then turned a suspicious eye in Beast Boy's direction. "So, what did <em>you </em>do?"</p><p>The jade teen shrugged helplessly. "I kinda defaulted to the old water balloon prank, though, in Ryo's case it's just <em>sooo </em>much more effective."</p><p>Terra's eyebrow rose. "He beat you up over a water balloon? Seems a bit extreme, doesn't it?" A little too extreme; she found herself strangely hoping that her savior wasn't some kind of maniac.</p><p>Kasumi sighed politely. "Ryouga has always been rather temperamental concerning his curse. He might have been slightly harsh, but it was by no means unexpected."</p><p>"Umm, curse? What curse?"</p><p>The lovely brunette smiled knowingly. "You've already seen it in action. In fact, it's why you are here right now."</p><p>Suddenly, everything clicked... though the picture didn't really make any kind of logical sense. "So, Ryouga turning into a kid... that was a <em>curse</em>?"</p><p>Beast Boy nodded. "Yeah, totally freaky, eh? Even weirder, it's turned on by cold water and off by hot water."</p><p>"<em>Really</em>? That is kinda weird..." A sudden thought caused a giggle to escape her lips. "So, does that mean that big bad Beast Boy got beat up by a <em>cute widdle </em>eight-year-old?"</p><p>"<em>Hey</em>! It wasn't like that! He's, like, some kind of super ninja kid!" proclaimed the flailing changeling.</p><p>"<em>Suuure </em>he is."</p><p>"He <em>totally </em>is! He even beat the tar out of Robin when he was a kid."</p><p>That brought Terra up short. Sure, she had been <em>told </em>how good Ryouga was, but it was more a nebulous concept than anything else. On the other hand, she <em>knew </em>how good Robin was, and the idea that this Ryouga person could defeat <em>him </em>while half his normal age...</p><p>Just what kind of fighter <em>was </em>he?</p><p>"Is that so?" Kasumi asked. "Robin told me that that fight ended in more of a draw."</p><p>Beast Boy waved dismissively. "<em>Pfft</em>, only cuz Raven broke the fight up before Robin could really get his butt handed to him."</p><p>The young blonde rolled her eyes. "Where <em>is </em>Ryouga, anyway? We never really got the chance to finish our talk."</p><p>Her emerald friend shrugged helplessly.</p><p>"I believe he's down in the gymnasium. He was telling me that he wanted to begin training again," offered the surprisingly knowledgeable Tendo woman.</p><p>The green teen shuddered visibly. "Maybe you should wait till later to talk to him. If Ryo is training in the gym, then it's a good bet Robin is down there too. I don't know about you, but <em>I </em>don't feel like getting suckered into any early morning training."</p><p>Kasumi nodded absently as she read the monitor on yet another obscure medical device. "Exactly. Why do you think I'm here checking these same three machines for the fifteenth time this morning?"</p><p>The brunette then graced them with a smile so innocent, that Terra's hand nearly reached for her wallet to buy the woman a puppy before she even realized what she was doing. Thankfully, before the geokinetic could break her brain trying to figure out if the older woman were kidding or not, Kasumi broke down into a fit of girlish giggles.</p><p>Apparently, her immune system was still very weak, as Terra quickly found herself infected by the errant strain of giggles. Beast Boy, on the other hand, succumbed to a mutated variety of the virus known as the chuckles.</p><p>Finally, Terra was able to shake the giggles and slipped her feet off the edge of the bed, letting them dangle freely. "Hey, I'm still injured, remember? No training for me, doctor's orders. I think I'm safe to head down."</p><p>Across from her, Beast Boy let out a resigned sigh. "Oh, fine, I'll go too, then."</p><p>She shot him a queer look. "Um, you don't have to if you don't want to... in fact, shouldn't you stay here if you're still beat up?"</p><p>In a typical display of macho male ego, the changeling waved off her concern (only wincing three times as a result). "Naw, I'm as fit as a fiddle, right, Kasumi?"</p><p>One of Kasumi's eyebrows arched. "If you are implying that you are as healthy as a delicately crafted piece of wood being held together by so much string and glue... then yes, I suppose you are."</p><p>Terra giggled shamelessly at the look on the changeling's face when he realized that Kasumi had actually made a joke. Kasumi followed it up with a resigned sigh of her own. "Well, I suppose if <em>both </em>of my patients are leaving, then it would be hard for me to justify my staying up here alone, now wouldn't it?"</p><p>Beast Boy smirked happily. "True that! Alright, field trip to the gym and I've got <em>both </em>of the most beautiful Titan girls to accompany me. I'll have to remember to thank Ryo for pummeling me later!"</p><p>Despite the cheesiness of the line, Terra still felt her cheeks start to burn. Kasumi just giggled in that wonderfully airy manner of hers.</p><p>"Oh, my! You had better not let Starfire hear you say something like that."</p><p>Terra nodded, but before she had the chance to add 'or Raven', the changeling leapt to his feet (apparently magically healed of his <em>crippling injuries</em>) and pulled her to her feet as well. Beast Boy then turned to Kasumi and winked. "I won't tell if you don't. Now, let's get goin'!"</p><p>With their miraculously pessimistic-turned-optimistic guide to lead them, it only took the trio a handful of minutes to reach their destination. They hadn't even managed to make it through the gymnasium doors before they were given a very audible hint as to the kind of training that was going on.</p><p>A bone rattling '<em>Klong'</em> rumbled down the corridor, followed quickly by the boisterous laughter that could only be Cyborg's. The unexpected noise brought Terra up short, uncertain as to what it could mean. The look of excitement that spread across Beast Boy's face, though, promised that whatever it was was likely going to be cool.</p><p>Instantly, the shape shifter grabbed her wrist, his excited look growing by the second. "Dude! It sounds like Ryo and Cy are goin' at it! I'd know that '<em>Klong'</em> anywhere!"</p><p>At hearing that, Terra scarcely needed the changeling's assistance to increase her pace. Together, they ran forward eagerly, while the lovely Tendo followed at a rather more sedate pace. They burst into the massive training room just in time to be treated to an impressive sight.</p><p>Moving so fast that the blonde could barely follow, Ryouga flowed forward, weaving just an inch to the side of Cyborg's furious haymaker. The martial artist then seemed to slide up the length of the cyborg's arm, effortlessly piercing his defense, and landing punishing strikes to the elbow, neck and temple at a tempo that reminded her of someone playing one of those metal drums.</p><p>A fraction of a second later, the bandanna clad warrior was forced to leap up and over Cyborg's head to avoid a devastating roundhouse kick.</p><p>Cyborg followed his kick by spinning around and throwing out a wild backhand, obviously hoping to catch Ryouga before he landed. His swing came up an inch short, though, as the nimble martial artist had planned obviously planned his jump to land just beyond the larger boy's reach. Then, rather than break off and reorient himself, like Terra imagined she would, Ryouga's hands flashed out to latch onto Cyborg's extended fist, holding it fast. The martial artist then allowed himself to fall to his back, pulling his opponent with him. Before the enormous teen could flatten him, though, Ryouga's feet shot out and-</p><p>Terra's eyes widened.</p><p>-launched the massive bulk of Cyborg <em>thirty feet </em>into the air.</p><p>The titanium Titan ricocheted off the gym wall, a wide spider web of cracks forming in testament to the force of his flight, then plummeted to the floor with a calamitous crash.</p><p>Even as Terra watched in awe at the display, her companions seemed to be taking the battle in relative stride.</p><p>"Get up, Cy! You can't let the rookie beat you!" crowed her emerald companion.</p><p>"A most exemplary application of the Pentakian Reverse Leverage Thorax maneuver I demonstrated for you!" cheered an equally excited, though oppositely gendered, voice from across the room.</p><p>It was about then that Terra realized that Starfire, Robin and Raven were all present as well. While the vivacious Tamaranean cheered enthusiastically from the sidelines, the latter two leaned against the far wall, watching with varying degrees of interest.</p><p>In a decidedly casual manner, Cyborg rose to his feet, taking a moment to brush some errant rubble from his shoulder. The wide smile on the larger teen's face spoke volumes. "Heh, what's the problem, Ryo? You're only hitting me with seventy three percent of the force you were using the last time we fought. How the heck do ya expect to beat me like that?"</p><p>Ryouga grinned a fanged grin. "Handily, I'd say. Besides, I <em>am </em>two months out of practice, not to mention the fact I don't feel <em>quite </em>the urge to kill you that I did back then... yet."</p><p>From the far wall, Robin shook his head in amusement. "Don't get cocky, Cyborg. Remember, I asked Ryouga not to use his Bakusai Tenketsu for the same reason I told you not to use your missile launchers."</p><p>To the vigilante's side, Raven rolled her eyes. "If that reason was to prevent the gymnasium from being destroyed, then it seems to be failing utterly."</p><p>"Ha!" crowed Cyborg. "Like I'm worried about Ryo's Finger of Doom. Cyborg don't get taken in by the same trick twice!"</p><p>Considering that Terra had absolutely no idea what anyone was talking about, having become utterly lost around the Back Yard Tent Sale part of the conversation, she was caught completely off guard when the cybernetic Titan made a rather overt display of the simple act of pressing a button on his arm panel.</p><p>With startling speed, gleaming plates of metal suddenly began to slide out from Cyborg's limbs, moving to cover every inch of the blue, glassy material that covered so much of his frame. It only took a handful of seconds to complete the bizarre transformation from blue tinted hero to silver plated knight.</p><p>"Hah! How do ya like <em>them </em>apples, Ryo? I'd like to see you try your puny little BT on me <em>now</em>!"</p><p>In response, the fanged warrior's grin spread out into a vicious looking smile. Lifting a fist, he extended a single finger before him, holding it out like one might brandish a lethal weapon. "Don't tempt me, Tin Man."</p><p>"Okay, guys. Remember this is a <em>nice</em> clean fight. Try not to go overboard," Robin reminded the pair.</p><p>Sighing sadly, both combatants dropped back into their respective combat stances. Seconds ticked by until, suddenly, at some signal known only to the cyborg and the martial artist, the battle resumed, both surging forward as one.</p><p>The two warriors met in a flurry of blows. Cyborg was in rare form, launching punches and kicks as quickly as Terra had ever seen him. His opponent was on another level completely, though, threading through the attacks and launching savage strikes of his own in return. The larger Titan might as well have been fighting a phantom... no, that wasn't quite right.</p><p>This fight was more basic than that. It was like watching furious ocean waves crash against the rocky shore, the old 'unstoppable force, meet immovable object' cliché. The bandanna clad fighter was absurdly fast and attacked with ferocious abandon, but Cyborg was too resilient to be harmed.</p><p>Though she wasn't sure why, the blonde geokinetic found herself willing the smaller warrior to win. Not that she wanted Cyborg to lose, per se, but it felt important to her that her savior was, maybe, just a teensy bit invincible.</p><p>"Ha!" cheered Beast Boy, "Ryo can't hurt Cy! It's just a matter of time before he tires out and Cy finishes him off."</p><p>To their side, Kasumi tapped her chin. "That is quite possible. I suppose that in ten or twelve hours Ryouga will start getting winded... though he <em>has </em>gotten much stronger since that time him and Ranma stayed up training all night long for that Rhythmic gymnastics duel. My, those two always did work so hard."</p><p>Terra and Beast Boy both stared at the brunette, eyes wide. "You can't possibly be serious," mumbled the former.</p><p>Kasumi's head tiled to the side as she regarded her. "Whatever do you mean? Why wouldn't I be serious?"</p><p>The changeling groaned loudly. "Man, there's no way my attention span can last that long! Not even for an awesome fight like this." He turned back to the battle. "Hey, Cy! What's your battery level at?"</p><p>"Twenty hours!"</p><p>"<em>Aww maaan</em>!"</p><p>Using the second's distraction, Ryouga launched himself into the air, soaring into Cyborg's chest with a bone shattering double kick. Of course, considering the massive teen's titanium frame, Cyborg was barely even unbalanced by the attack – at least, until Ryouga used the large teen as a springboard, using the massive strength of his legs to send himself flying up into the air... and send Cyborg careening into the floor. The titanium Titan's body dug a furrow half a dozen feet long before grinding to a stop in a shower of sparks.</p><p>Ryouga landed on the far side of the gym, smiling. "Don't worry, Beast Boy, I don't plan on letting the fight go on <em>that </em>long."</p><p>And then the fanged warrior descended on Cyborg's rising form like a plague of locusts... and with roughly the same results that a swarm of small insects would inflict on the steel plated titan.</p><p>Slowly, Terra turned toward Kasumi. "Um, Kasumi? You guys said that Ryouga was a normal human, right?"</p><p>The elder tapped a long finger to her chin. "...well, <em>normal </em>can be such a subjective term..."</p><p>Terra giggled. "I mean, he's not an alien, or a meta human, or dunked in toxic waste or anything?"</p><p>Kasumi smiled back, looking quite tickled. "I can't say for certain about the last one, but yes, Ryouga is a normal human, by that rather loose definition."</p><p>The young blonde tilted her head to the side. "Then why exactly is he bouncing around like he was Starfire's and Robin's lovechild?"</p><p>The second the words slid from her tongue, Kasumi's face flushed bright red. An explosive outburst of laughter erupted from her other side, as Beast Boy nearly collapsed at roughly the same time.</p><p>Even though she had asked the question far too quietly to be heard beyond the three of them, the green teen's outburst quickly drew pointed glances from the far side of the room. Acting quickly, Terra waved innocently to Robin, Raven and Starfire, then immediately turned her attention back to the battle.</p><p>A particularly fast jab from Cyborg forced Ryouga to block, rather than dodge. Absorbing the impact on crossed forearms, the martial artist was still sent sliding backwards over a dozen feet, until the gymnasium wall was kind enough to stop his enforced retreat with only minor buckling.</p><p>Terra's eyes widened again. It didn't look like Cyborg was pulling his punches at all.</p><p>Impressively, Ryouga dug himself out of his shallow crater and shook his arms out gingerly. "Not bad, even with all of my training that <em>actually </em>hurt."</p><p>"Well, if ya liked that-" Cyborg's bragging was suddenly cut off by the roar of his boot jets flaring to life and launching him over a dozen feet into the air. Even as he flew up, twin bursts of azure flame carrying him aloft, his right arm clanked and whirred loudly as it reconfigured itself into the familiar sight of his sonic cannon. "-Then you're gonna <em>love</em> <strong><em>this</em></strong>!"</p><p>With a deafening '<em>Thoom'</em> of white noise, the torrent of sonic waves tore into the ground and shattered the wall... exactly where Ryouga <em>had </em>been standing just a second earlier.</p><p>Terra had to blink twice before she registered that not only had the fanged fighter vanished from ground zero, but he was already in the air and closing the distance to Cyborg in a blur.</p><p>The metallic fighter's human eye widened in shock as the martial artist quickly began to fill his vision. He desperately tried to reorient his over-powered energy weapon, but before he even had the chance-</p><p>Ryouga flew past him in a flash of yellow and black. Cyborg nearly laughed out loud at his opponent's wild miss – but found his elation cruelly curtailed by a savage jerk on his arm. All the titanium teen had time to notice was the strip of yellow and black spotted fabric wrapped around his sonic cannon before his entire existence became a spinning whirlwind.</p><p>Terra winced in sympathy as Ryouga finally released Cyborg from the aerial death spin, launching the larger man into the distant wall with all the poetic grace of a cruise missile.</p><p>The martial artist wasn't done yet, though. Ryouga landed lightly near the center of the room, only to cross his arms over his chest tightly. Terra was just about to ask Kasumi what was going on-</p><p>When Ryouga started <em>glowing</em>. An oddly familiar feeling washed over her as he did, like an echo of something she couldn't remember, but could never imagine forgetting...</p><p>"Ryouga, <em>wait</em>!"</p><p>"<em>Shishi Houkodan</em>!"</p><p>Whatever warning Raven had tried to offer was drowned out by the crackling roar of the sphere of azure energy which flared to life so dramatically, hanging in the air, dancing wildly to some unheard samba, right before the warrior's crossed arms.</p><p>Terra silently tallied another check mark to her 'Starfire/Robin Love Child' scoreboard.</p><p><em>Maybe my definition of normal could use some work</em>, she mused silently.</p><p>Then Ryouga extended his hands forward, almost appearing to push the glowing orb of energy towards his staggering prey. Obeying with vicious glee, it blasted off like some kind of roaring bullet, bearing down on Cyborg –</p><p>Who frantically tore his sonic cannon from where it was embedded in the wall and swung it around –</p><p>"<em>Sonic Cannon Blast</em>!"</p><p>Cyborg's transmogrified limb flared to life once more, unleashing a lance of pale blue energy of incredible intensity.</p><p>To Terra's surprise (not to mention Ryouga's, judging by the fact that his eyebrows just shot up to vanish beneath his bandanna), Cyborg's sonic bombardment tore through the hurtling comet of energy without even slowing; the beam of force carried on smashing into the fanged boy's chest.</p><p>Apparently Ryouga wasn't much of an impediment, either, as the boy was blasted right off his feet. The lance of sonic waves carried him the entire length of the gymnasium, slamming him into the distant wall with enough force to smash a crater over two yards in diameter into the resilient material.</p><p>A moment later, Ryouga's smoking form collapsed to the ground.</p><p>Terra gasped loudly at the sight but was quickly drowned out by the rest of the audience's reactions.</p><p>"Alright, <em>Cy!</em>" cheered Beast Boy enthusiastically.</p><p>Robin and Starfire applauded as well (to varying degrees of enthusiasm).</p><p>"Way to pull off the upset victory of the month, Cyborg."</p><p>"Indeed! Your ability to resist the savage beating you were receiving was <em>most</em> impressive!"</p><p>Even as the former three ran forward to congratulate their friend, Raven just rolled her eyes. "<em>Sonic Cannon Blast</em>? You are <em>such </em>a dork."</p><p>Cyborg flashed the dark teen a winning smile. "Hey, it was either that or '<em>I'ma Firin' mah Lahzar</em>!'"</p><p>And with that, the rest of <em>that </em>discussion dissolved into a series of uproarious laughter and disgusted groans.</p><p>To Terra's side, Kasumi simply sighed. "Terra, would you be a dear and check on Ryouga for me? He'll probably be feeling a bit down after a loss like that."</p><p>The young blonde stared at the woman incredulously. "<em>Down</em>? Isn't anyone even worried that he might be dead?"</p><p>It was the Tendo woman's turn to look strangely at Terra. Kasumi shook it off quickly though and offered her a charming smile. "Don't worry about Ryouga. I'm sure his pride is more wounded than he is. Now you go cheer him up while I go start breakfast. I want to see if I can find the things I need to make his favorite."</p><p>Then the tall brunette turned and left, leaving Terra to stare after her for a long moment. She quickly shook her head, though, and dashed over to the fallen fighter's side. Much to her surprise, the elder Tendo's prediction proved true. By the time she arrived, Ryouga was already pushing himself up to his knees.</p><p>She quickly knelt at his side and dropped a hand on his shoulder to help him up. "Hey, are you alright?"</p><p>Apparently, he hadn't noticed her until that point, as his quiet stream of expletives stopped abruptly. He quickly looked up to stare at her, and she could practically see the male's ego begin to erect a solid wall of macho posturing around itself.</p><p>Instantly, the young man sat up, smiling, and acting as if he weren't hurt at all. "<em>Terra</em>! I didn't see you there!" The fanged warrior chuckled nervously. "Don't you worry about me. It'll take more than a love tap like that to hurt me!"</p><p>He followed his declaration with a nonchalant chest thump, <em>almost </em>managing to hide the wince as he did.</p><p>Terra rolled her eyes at the display. Still, Kasumi had asked her to cheer him up, and he didn't <em>appear </em>to be seriously hurt. She quickly wracked her mind for something to talk about that didn't involve his embarrassing loss.</p><p>"So... um, that spinning around move you did on Cyborg was pretty cool, where did you learn it?"</p><p>
  <em>Oh, so close...</em>
</p><p>Ryouga looked at her oddly for a moment, before shrugging. "I guess you could say a... <em>friend </em>of mine taught me that move." The fanged boy quickly mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like: 'Through first-hand experience.'</p><p>Hmm, well, that hadn't worked. Now the martial artist looked even more annoyed. He was obviously too macho to accept any help up that she might offer, too; even despite his sour face, he was still maintaining his prideful facade tirelessly-</p><p>"So, is anything broken?"</p><p>A little shocked at the sudden intrusion, Terra quickly looked up to see Raven standing over them, an uncharacteristically soft smile on her pale lips. Terra scoffed mentally; <em>Let's see how she deals with Mr. Macho-</em></p><p>"I – I think I felt a rib give a bit..."</p><p>The geokinetic heroine spun, her eyes widening as she stared incredulously at the Hibiki. There wasn't even a trace of the over developed male pride that he'd foisted off on <em>her</em>. The look in his eyes as he looked up at the cloaked Titan was what could only be described as sincere gratitude.</p><p>Raven casually knelt at Ryouga's other side, bringing a glowing blue hand to rest on his chest.</p><p>"I tried to warn you," she chided gently. "Even I could tell that your mindset is miles away from being able to use that technique."</p><p>Immediately, Ryouga let out a long sigh as the blue energy suffused into his skin. Then, grinning sheepishly, he turned to regard Raven. "I know that... It's been getting steadily weaker since we fought Red X, but – but my body still wants to use it."</p><p>The genuine frustration in his voice annoyed Terra slightly, as it was all aimed in the darker Titan's direction. The blonde bulldozer quickly felt that there was a loop forming here that she wasn't a part of.</p><p>Raven grinned – <em>Raven </em>actually grinned. "You know, most people would consider being unable to use such a technique to be a <em>positive </em>thing."</p><p>Ryouga chuckled, "You and Kori, both-"</p><p>Terra silently mouthed the word 'kori' to herself, wondering who he could be talking about.</p><p>"-Besides, it's not like it would have mattered. I knew that Cyborg's sonic cannon was powerful, but not <em>that </em>powerful." Ryouga winced as the power around Raven's hand surged for a moment. "<em>Hunh</em>. Man, I feel like I got hit by <em>ten </em>of Ranma's Mouko Takabishas."</p><p>This conversation was getting weird. Not only did Terra have absolutely no idea what they were talking about, but what kind of guy openly admitted to being beaten so easily? He'd told <em>her </em>that he was fine, after all.</p><p><em>Oops</em>, her negative thoughts must have been too obvious, as Raven suddenly turned to shoot an inquisitive glance in her direction. Thankfully, before she could even begin to cobble together some kind of lame excuse, the violent eyed woman's gaze softened.</p><p>"Terra, would you help me lift this indelible bulk?"</p><p>"Hey!... I don't even know what that means..."</p><p>Terra giggled at the comical expression on the fanged boy's face. Feeling a little better at her minor inclusion, Terra quickly slid under Ryouga's arm to help lift him up-</p><p>"<em>Hunh</em>!"</p><p>To <em>try </em>to lift him up. Her eyes nearly bugged out as she strained vainly against the martial artist's weight. She looked across to see Raven struggling just as unsuccessfully. Heck, there was almost a tinge of color on those pale cheeks of hers.</p><p>As one, both girls turned to fire pointed glares at the piece of dead weight hanging between them. The amused grin on the guy's face, with just a hint of fang peeking out, spoke volumes.</p><p>"<em>Oh, </em>you were trying to lift <em>me</em>? Here, why don't you let me help you with that?"</p><p>Without warning, (unless you counted the mischievous grin) he leaned down and wrapped his arms around both her and Raven's knees. Then, without even the slightest effort, he stood up, hefting the both of them up onto his shoulders.</p><p>Exhilarated with the sudden lift, not to mention the free ride, Terra cheered excitedly as Ryouga began to walk them back to the rest of the Titans. Looking over to her fellow passenger, the blonde instantly burst into giggles.</p><p>Raven's face was <em>bright </em>red, now. A look of mortification clung to the female's face as she perched on the fanged boy's shoulder. <em>Heh, well, she always was a prude.</em></p><p>As soon as they rejoined the others, Cyborg raised a titanium hand in greeting. "Yo, Ryo, awesome fight there!" The bulky teen then took a moment to examine the pair of ladies resting on Ryouga's shoulders. "Heh, what's that? You provide the bleachers for your cheering section, too?"</p><p>Ryouga smirked in amusement, even as Terra whooped happily. "Naw, these two are helping me walk, on account of me being so injured."</p><p>Starfire donned a somewhat confused expression. "Does not such assistance appear to be counter-productive?"</p><p>"Put. Me. <em>Down</em>."</p><p>Lost in the moment, Terra leaned over and wrapped a friendly arm around Raven's shoulder. "Oh, don't be such a spoilsport, Raven!"</p><p>A second later, she leaned back hastily as Raven turned a heated gaze in her direction. Apparently sensing the imminent danger as well, Ryouga quickly knelt and let both girls slide off his shoulders and back to their feet. Immediately, Raven disappeared into the depths of her hood and floated back several feet, trying to hide her flaming cheeks firmly behind a look of abject annoyance. Ryouga also skidded back, blushing badly himself for some reason.</p><p>Apparently, nothing had come even close to approaching normal with these people during her absence...</p><p>"So, Terra, Kasumi cleared you to come down for some exercise, did she? I have to say, that's some pretty admirable dedication on your part," stated Robin. While her attention had been elsewhere, the colorfully clad hero had approached her, wearing a cheerful grin on his face.</p><p>Immediately, warning sensors went off in Terra's head. "Um... not exac-"</p><p>"Hey, that's great!" exclaimed Ryouga, clearly desperate to jump onto any change of topic. "Some stretching and light calisthenics would go a long way towards helping your body recover."</p><p>"Ah, y'see..." she started, looking around desperately. Unfortunately, it was right about then that she remembered Kasumi had already left. Maybe Beast Boy would be able to back up her story...</p><p>She caught a fleeting glimpse of Beast Boy's rear end just a second before he vanished through the gymnasium doors.</p><p>
  <em>He is <strong>such </strong>a dead man!</em>
</p><p>With no argument forthcoming, Robin nodded sharply. "Alright then, we should get started right away."</p><p>Ryouga nodded agreeably. "Yeah, between the two of us, we should have you back in top form in less than a week."</p><p>Unable to withstand the overly optimistic faces of the two martial artists, Terra manufactured the most enthusiastic expression she was capable of, despite the massive lead weight that it felt like she'd just swallowed.</p><p>"Um, yeah... can't wait."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>-Less than a week later-</p><p>Terra shifted nervously as she took in her surroundings. It was an odd feeling, this sensation of unease that settled across her, especially considering she was finally back on her home turf. All around her, the vast expanse of the island spread out in all directions, the massive form of Titan Tower looming not too far to the south.</p><p>It felt amazing, after a week of bed rest, to finally be outside once more. The wind in her hair, the sun on her face and the nearly forgotten feeling of the earth beneath her feet. She could almost hear the planet singing to her, a soothing, sonorous melody played for every living thing to enjoy... but sadly, so very rarely heard. It was so clear, too, now that she had her feet planted solidly on the ground, more so than she ever remembered. Probably just a case of absence making the heart grow fonder, or something.</p><p>Of course, that wasn't what was causing her anxiety to bloom so magnificently. In fact, the comfortable caress of the earth was the only thing keeping her from freaking out. The reason for her nervous fidgeting was sprawled out before her.</p><p>The Titan Obstacle Course.</p><p>She remembered the cruel construct well, bursting at the seams with laser canons, death traps and any other form of mechanical horror that Cyborg's twisted mind could imagine to inflict bodily harm to her admittedly fragile frame. Over there would be the giant trap door; over there, giant metal fists would burst out of the ground in an attempt to flatten her out even further. The blonde heroine didn't even want to imagine what other kinds of horrors had been installed since then, eith-</p><p>"Well, that's that, then," proclaimed Cyborg loudly.</p><p>Terra spun quickly to see the Titan in question straighten himself up from where he had been hunched beneath the control panel of the dreaded obstacle course. Brushing his hands off quickly, Cyborg proceeded to slam the panel close before firing a heated glare in Robin's direction. "I don't know what you did, Robin, but the obstacle course is totally boned."</p><p>Robin fired back with an incredulous stare. "<em>Me?</em> I told you that the obstacle course wasn't functioning <em>weeks </em>ago."</p><p>Cyborg poked a metallic digit to the masked vigilante's chest. "Hey, you were the last one to use it. So it <em>must </em>have been you that messed it up."</p><p>"The last time that <em>I </em>ran through the course, it was working <em>fine</em>," growled their spiky haired leader, "It wasn't until I was going to run Kasumi through it that the computer system suddenly froze up. If you ask <em>me</em>, it sounds more like <em>someone </em>wasn't performing maintenance checks like they were <em>supposed </em>to."</p><p>"Ex-<em>cuuuuse</em> me? You'd <em>better not </em>be tryin' to pin this on me-"</p><p>Whatever else that Cyborg was going to say died away instantly. The gentle hand that came to rest on the massive boy's shoulder silenced him with the finality of a mute button, just as the hand's mirror did the same for Robin. Kasumi then pushed the two young men apart, a supportive smile on her lips.</p><p>"Now, Cyborg, Robin, this is hardly the time to be arguing over something as silly as this. I'm certain that whatever minor programming glitch is affecting your little obstacle course will work itself out soon enough."</p><p>Instantly crimson bloomed on the cheeks of both Titan's and they began mumbling apologies to each other. Terra watched in silent awe at the awesome power that Kasumi seemed to possess in that sweet smile of hers. The geokinetic hadn't been around terribly long before she had betrayed the Titans, herself, but she'd seen Cyborg and Robin go at it before, and she had <em>never </em>seen them bury the hatchet so quickly.</p><p>Terra was only glad that there was no way that Kasumi's powers could be used for evil.</p><p>"Umm, so what are we gonna do for Terra, then?" asked Beast Boy. The emerald changeling shot her a supportive grin. "I mean, she's gotta show that she's still the most butt-whoopin' Titan there is... after myself, of course."</p><p>A smile curved her lips at the kind words, though it didn't really do much to quell the tight little knot rolling around in her tummy.</p><p>From his lawn chair off to the side of the course, Ryouga waved dismissively. "I'm sure we can find something better to do. That obstacle course was <em>way </em>overrated anyway."</p><p>Raven, sitting to the left of the bandanna clad martial artist smirked wickedly. "Are you just saying that because you've never actually been able to <em>finish </em>the course?"</p><p>"<em>No!" </em>Ryouga barked. "It's just... Cyborg didn't <em>have </em>to make it such a labyrinth, did he?"</p><p>Starfire, floating to his right side, rolled her eyes. "Even <em>I </em>was astounded that you misperceived Mr. Chan's Dry Cleaners to be a section of the obstacle course."</p><p>"Well maybe Cyborg should have thought about <em>that </em>before he built his obstacle course right beside it!"</p><p>"<em>It was on the other side of the bay</em>!" hollered the offended Cyborg. "I'm <em>still </em>not sure how you got over the bridge so fast!"</p><p>Thankfully (or maybe not, since Terra would have been quite happy to have her friend's amusing bickering last all day) Robin stepped in to end the argument. Though it looked like even their caped crusader in training was on the verge of laughter himself, he quickly composed himself enough to speak. "Okay, that's enough, guys. I still want to see how Terra handles herself on the battlefield now that she's recovered, so we need to think of something."</p><p>Immediately, seven pairs of scrutinizing eyes descended on Terra as everyone present began considering alternatives to the defunct obstacle course. Sadly, the possibility of a pie-eating contest seemed remote, considering the looks on their faces. In fact, she was fairly sure that the nature of her <em>test </em>would be a foregone conclusion.</p><p>"Well, seems pretty obvious to me," voiced Ryouga, "I guess we need to have a little 'Terra Tournament'."</p><p>Terra started groaning somewhere around 'seems pretty obvious', but didn't finish till well after the fanged boy was finished. That was <em>exactly </em>what she <em>didn't </em>want to do. Even if the very concept of fighting her friends (even in play) didn't cause her stomach to twist all up around itself, there was also the very basic fact that each of the Titan's had had nearly a <em>year </em>to get stronger in her absence...</p><p>Robin rubbed a knuckle against his chin as he considered the idea. "Well, that's pretty much what I was going to suggest. Alright, let's go with that." The colorfully clad young hero turned his attention her way, a wide smile splitting his face. "Okay, Terra, remember that this is just practice. Don't worry about impressing anyone, and don't take things any faster than you're comfortable with."</p><p>Terra nodded shakily, but didn't reply out of fear that her voice would break embarrassingly. He thought she was worried about <em>impressing </em>anyone? Utter humiliation seemed like a much more likely fate for her.</p><p>Robin then turned to the emerald changeling. "Beast Boy, why don't you go first?"</p><p>"<em>First</em>?" barked the irate shape-shifter, "Dude, what's up with that?"</p><p>Amusingly, it was Cyborg that replied, dropping a friendly hand on the green teen's shoulder. "BB, seriously, you ain't gonna last five seconds against Terra over there."</p><p>"<em>Wha-</em>"</p><p>Cyborg's bark of laughter cut Beast Boy off sharply. "Don't take it personal, but this is <em>Terra </em>we're talkin' about. All she's gotta do is wink at ya, and you'll be hittin' the ground before she can even lay a mitt on ya."</p><p>The emerald changeling looked ready to argue the point... considered it, then, "Hmm... yeah – yeah, you're probably right about that."</p><p>Terra giggled loudly at that proclamation. Maybe -just maybe - she was over thinking this whole thing. Like Robin had said, it was just practice. There was no way that Beast Boy, Cyborg, Starfire, or even Ryouga, would really try to hurt her. And as long as she threw a fight to one of them, she wouldn't even have to worry about fighting Robin or Raven.</p><p><em>Sometimes I'm so smart it's scary</em>! She cheered in her head.</p><p>Smiling just a little easier now, she nodded to Beast Boy as her green tinted friend came out to join her on the Titan's spacious backyard. Almost immediately, the changeling began to bounce lightly back and forth on the balls of his feet. A wide, fanged smile spread across his face as he began to circle her slowly.</p><p>"Y'know, if you <em>were </em>planning on using your feminine wiles, I think I would be <em>especially </em>susceptible to a kiss on the cheek... just sayin' is all..."</p><p>She shook her head, smiling despite herself. She might keep that option open, just in case, but wanted to stretch her legs a bit first (metaphorically speaking). After all, she doubted that Starfire would be swayed by a kiss on the cheek nearly as much as Beast Boy.</p><p>Knowing that this opponent, at the very least, would likely be more than happy to wait for her to make the first move, Terra closed her eyes and drew in a long, calming breath. The sounds of the changeling's feet swishing across the earth as he circled her helped her keep track of the young man as she tried to figure out just what it was she should do.</p><p>
  <em>Something small, something easy; just like Robin said... take it niiice and slow.</em>
</p><p>Slowly, she opened her eyes, locking gazes with the green Titan.</p><p>
  <em>Yeah, something nice and small.</em>
</p><p>Terra's pinky twitched-</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Battling off a wave of grogginess, Beast Boy opened his emerald eyes, only to immediately regret it, as several treacherous lances of sunlight chose that exact moment to assault him. Muttering a minor curse at the evil, sleep depriving sustained fusion reaction in the sky; he quickly flipped away from the window and pulled his blanket over his head...</p><p><em>Wait a sec... Blanket? </em>Opening his eyes again, the ensuing darkness confirmed that he did, indeed have a blanket pulled over his head.</p><p>Well, that was odd. He didn't even remember going to bed; the last thing he remembered was...</p><p>"<em>Terra</em>!"</p><p>The changeling shot up – about five inches. With a flare of pain that he hadn't felt since his first battle with Kunou, his entire chest <em>howled </em>in protest to the sudden movement and dropped him back to the bed instantly. With eyes clenched tightly shut, the only sound he could manage was a weak groan as his body finally informed him that waking up had been a <em>bad, bad </em>career choice.</p><p>Then, without warning, the inexplicable pain subsided... well, not <em>subsided</em>, but it lessened to the point that he could bear to breathe, anyway. Cracking his eye open slightly, the familiar sight of a delicately pale hand resting gently on his chest greeted him. The otherworldly blue glow that surrounded the hand, and most of his chest – his heavily bandaged chest – made it obvious who was fondling him and why.</p><p>"H-hey... Rae... I'd make some k-" A weak cough, "-some kinda joke... but I-I wanna know why my-" a long wheeze "- <em>chest</em> feels like someone tipped over a... china cabinet..."</p><p>His grim-faced friend looked up from her work, offering him a pained smile. "It's good to see that you've woken up, but you might want to refrain from speaking until I've finished healing you."</p><p>Beast Boy started at her words, and especially the pained look on her face. As quickly as his aching body would allow, he grabbed the sorceress' hand and pulled it away from his chest. The pain flooded back in just as quickly as the funky blue energy stopped seeping into his skin, but compared to what it <em>had </em>been, it felt manageable.</p><p>"W-what are you <em>doing</em>, Beast Boy?"</p><p>He chuckled a little wetly. "Y-you think I don't know how... your mumbo jumbo works?" he asked sardonically. "I kn-know that you gotta hurt yourself to help me..."</p><p>The dark Titan's eyes widened at his declaration, before narrowing sharply. She struggled against his grip for a moment but stopped the second a pained grunt escaped his throat. "Stop it. If you know how my power works, then you also know that my recovery rate and pain tolerance are both much higher than your own. <em>I </em>can handle it."</p><p>This time he almost managed to laugh. "Big mistake, R...Rae. N-now if I <em>let </em>ya help me, I-I'll look like a wuss..." Raven's eyes narrowed further at his macho boast, but before she could tear her hand from his grip, he gently lowered her hand to her side and graced her with a sincere smile. "Besides, as much as... as <em>this </em>hurts... seein' you hurt cuz'a me'd be twice as bad."</p><p>For just a moment, he could have sworn he'd seen a flash of color grace his friend's cheeks, but it passed too quickly for him to be sure. A second later, Raven let out a defeated sigh and took a step back from his bed. Staring at him with resignation in her eyes, she shook her head.</p><p>"Will you at least let me administer some painkillers, then?"</p><p>"Oh, <em>God </em>yes!"</p><p>And there it was, the rarest of the rare, the one thing he had sought since first entering this tower.</p><p>Raven laughed.</p><p>It was short and sweet, very much <em>un</em>-like the girl herself, but it almost made the pain worth it.... <em>almost</em>.</p><p>In short order, Raven did as promised: supplying him with a generous handful of Flintstone Chewable Morphine, and the worst of the pain subsided once again, replaced with a familiar, cottony sensation wrapping itself around his brain. He wasn't any stranger to pain killers, though, so with that unpleasantness out of the way, Beast Boy figured it was time to finally get some answers, as he was <em>very </em>confused.</p><p>"Ra-"</p><p>"How is he doing, Raven?" Robin's voice and coming from the entrance of the medlab. Both Beast Boy and Raven turned just in time to see the Boy Wonder, flanked by Cyborg and Kasumi. The latter pair wore excruciatingly worried expressions on their faces, while, in true Robin fashion, their leader hid any possible emotions beneath a mask of cool indifference.</p><p>Before Raven even had the chance to explain his condition, the three newcomers saw his condition for themselves and like the flipping of a light switch, joy flooded their features. Quickly, Cyborg and Kasumi rushed past their now smiling leader and made their way to his bedside. The former pulled up just short of dropping a massive, titanium hand on his shoulder, but the latter glided right past and wrapped his head in a gentle hug.</p><p>"Garfield! Thank <em>goodness</em> you're alright. You had us all so worried," exclaimed the lovely Tendo woman as she oh-so tenderly embraced his head to her bosom.</p><p><em>Must... hide... bliss... </em>was the closest thing to a coherent thought he was able to process until the lovely brunette finally released him to step back in line with Cyborg.</p><p>"Yeah, how ya feelin', little Buddy?"</p><p>Beast Boy looked between the concerned duo for another moment, before finally pulling in enough breath to reply. "Heh, I'd say I'm fit as a fiddle... right, Kasumi?" He shot her a teasing wink.</p><p>Surprisingly, a small sniffle wracked the young woman, before she nodded with a bright smile. Even to the changeling's admittedly lax perceptions, he could see the tell-tale signs of someone that looked to be on the verge of tears.</p><p><em>Man, what is up with everyone</em>?</p><p>"So, what the heck happened, anyway?" he finally asked. "Why's everyone actin' so weirded out?"</p><p>All around him, the weirdness only compounded. Cyborg and Kasumi suddenly began to look at each other uncomfortably. Raven pulled up her hood, as if the shadows which bathed her face would hide her from his inquiry. Thankfully, Robin proved to be just as unflappable as his namesake wasn’t and stepped forward with a comforting certainty in his step.</p><p>"What is the last thing you remember?" he asked in his 'all business' voice.</p><p>Hmmm, well, that was easy. It had been the first thing he'd thought of before he'd noticed Raven trying to heal him. "I was outside. Me and Terra were just about to have a sparring match... then... nothing."</p><p>Well, <em>that </em>was troubling. As with <em>every </em>memory involving the blonde Titan, every minute detail had been captured with crystal clarity: the curtain of her hair blowing in the breeze, the delicate curve of her lip, the endless depths of her eyes... so why was there a sudden blank there?</p><p>He looked around absently. "Say, where is Terra, anyway?"</p><p>The guilty looks on everyone's faces only deepened, and even the Boy Wonder tugged at his collar nervously. "She's on the roof... with Ryouga and Starfire."</p><p>Beast Boy looked at his leader oddly. "Why the heck would she be up there?"</p><p>Still looking uncomfortable, Kasumi answered for Robin. "She is... distraught."</p><p>"Why-"</p><p>"Look, BB," interrupted Cyborg, an unusually serious look on his face. "Terra dropped you, man; dropped you harder than I've ever <em>seen</em>."</p><p>Beast Boy's entire world flip-flopped for just a second. There was something profoundly wrong with what his friend had just said. His confusion made itself more than apparent.</p><p>"Wha... No, she wouldn – <em>couldn't</em> have..."</p><p>Robin shook his head slowly. "It wasn't intentional; we know that much for certain. She just... lost control."</p><p>A disdainful sniff came from deep within the folds of Raven's hood. "If only it were that simple."</p><p>Beast Boy tried to fashion his glare into cold steel as he swung his eyes her way. "What's <em>that </em>supposed to mea-"</p><p>The rest of his outburst was cut off as the dark Titan lifted a hand to silence him. Not exactly sure why he stopped, he continued to level his scowl in her direction.</p><p>"Don't jump to conclusions, Beast Boy. This situation is much more complicated than Robin is indicating," Raven explained... not at all, really.</p><p>Mollified only because it was one of his closest friends that made the statement, Beast Boy allowed himself to calm down enough to repeat his question more calmly.</p><p>Robin sighed in defeat and nodded to Cyborg. "Cyborg, maybe it would be better if he saw it, first. Can you help him to the window?"</p><p>Despite looking more reluctant than the time Starfire had offered him a plate of her home made Glork, the cybernetic teen nodded. Without even a pretence of effort, Cyborg gently scooped Beast Boy out of his bed, eliciting only a few groans of pain, not to mention several pointed glares from Raven and Kasumi.</p><p>The changeling chuckled internally; with so many beautiful ladies working in the medical ward these days, maybe he should get beat up more often-</p><p>A sharp twinge in his rib cage quickly disabused him of that idea.</p><p>A few steps later, Cyborg had him at one of the large windows that presented a pristine view of the outside world. It was still light out, though the few clouds hanging in the sky were tinted orange by the setting of the sun. (Hadn't it been morning when they'd gone out to train?) Overall, if he had been the mushy kind of guy to think about that kind of stuff, he'd say it was a pretty sight.</p><p>So what the heck was it that his friends wanted him to see? Slowly, his eyes trailed down from the clouds, past the distant city that sat across the bay, trailed over the vast waters that filled the bay... finally rolling across the beach that rested several... stories... below?</p><p>"What the..." he trailed off weakly.</p><p>There, rising from the center of the beach, was a massive stone spire, resting at roughly a sixty-degree angle. The jagged peak had torn itself from the bedrock of the island, rising over forty feet in height, vicious looking spurs of solid stone jutting out at every possible upward angle from the impossible construct. The base, nearly as wide around as the tower, tapered quickly to a rounded point no more than a foot around...</p><p>Roughly the size of a certain changeling's ribcage...</p><p>The angled spire wasn't the whole of it, either. Shooting off in the exact direction that the spire was pointing, and traveling beyond the view that this window afforded, a trail of demolished earth carved a shallow crevasse across the island. It looked to Beast Boy almost as if a comet had slammed into the beach and bulldozed its way across the island until it finally pushed up too much debris to continue... though, disturbingly, he knew that was likely the exact opposite of what happened.</p><p>For some reason, the sight of a trio of shattered lawn chairs half buried in the rubble, several meters back from the spire caused Beast Boy to shoot a quick glance back in Raven's direction.</p><p>The empathic woman simply shook her head, her blue hood swaying from side to side. "I wasn't injured. Ryouga was nearly caught in the... event, but Starfire was able to get him out of the way in time."</p><p>Kasumi nodded thankfully. "It was actually Raven that saved you, Garfield. She managed to catch you before you landed..." The elder Tendo offered Raven a look of sincere gratitude which set the dark Titan to shifting uncomfortably. "I can't even say how relieved I was."</p><p><em>But why the heck would Terra use such a deadly attack on... me? </em>Beast Boy's unasked question trailed off as he slowly turned back to look at the devastation that had so neatly bisected their real estate. It was easy to remember where he had been standing, what with the forty-foot-high monument to him getting his butt whooped, which meant that Terra had been standing... there.</p><p>He closed his eyes again, as a strange thought entered his mind. Again, the crystal clear image of Terra entered his mind. The subtle curve of her lip as she smiled so nervously. The endless depths of her sapphire eyes; the tiny twitch of her pinky finger-</p><p>
  <em>Her sapphire eyes!</em>
</p><p>He gasped suddenly, realization washing over him. "B-but her <em>eyes</em> weren't glowing!" he choked out.</p><p>It wasn't like he hadn't seen such displays of power from Terra before. She was easily on par with Raven as far as sheer destructive potential was concerned, and like Raven, there were several obvious signs when she used her powers to their utmost. Beast Boy gasped for a second time as the ramifications of his realization suddenly slammed home with freight train force.</p><p>"She wasn't even <em>trying</em>!"</p><p>Side by side, now, Raven and Robin nodded forlornly. Silence pervaded for a moment, as Cyborg returned him to his bed. The mild discomfort of a chest full of shattered glass barely even registered as he tried to come to terms with his epiphany. Again, it rested on Robin's shoulders to break the silence.</p><p>"Exactly... We can't even begin to explain why, but something happened to Terra, something which has increased her power... we don't even know how much, yet."</p><p>Cyborg gestured dramatically to the walls around them. "The girl nearly shook the whole Tower apart when she realized what she did to ya, man. She didn't even know she was doin' it, either. Why the heck do ya think we got her up on the roof?"</p><p>The massive teen quickly shrunk back from Kasumi's disapproving look. Beast Boy just did his best to try to take in the information he was receiving. He didn't have much success in sorting out his thoughts before he noticed Raven shaking her head from side to side.</p><p>"It is hardly a shocking development. In fact, I'm ashamed I didn't foresee this problem myself." Raven's gaze slowly drifted across the room to match the questioning looks she was receiving from everyone. "Consider this: If what Ryouga told us concerning Terra's petrified state was true, and I have no reason to doubt him, then in her last-ditch effort to save us all from the volcano she created, Terra expended nearly all of her power."</p><p>Beast Boy nodded slowly. He remembered the golden fires of her power which had consumed Terra, setting the slight girl alight like an avenging angel from on high.</p><p>"And," continued the violet eyed Titan, "Due to her armor, her energy was unable to return to her body naturally, as Ryouga believed it would. Thus, for nearly an entire <em>year</em>, Terra's power, her very <em>essence </em>was trapped in the earth itself, the <em>source</em> of her power, blending together to such a degree that it took Ryouga over a month to even be able to differentiate between her energy and the planet's."</p><p>Cyborg waved his hand dismissively. "Pfft! That's just mumbo jumbo! I'm sure there's an actual, <em>scientific</em>, reason for this."</p><p>Had they been physically capable, Raven's eyes would have hurled daggers at Cyborg by the handful. "Well, by all means, enlighten us, O' Master of Technology."</p><p>"Ahh-"</p><p>"None of that <em>matters</em>," interrupted Beast Boy. He looked to Raven emphatically, as she was the only one that seemed to have any real answers. "So, Terra's more powerful now. That's a <em>good</em> thing... isn't it?"</p><p>The dark Titan's annoyed scowl melted away to nothing in the face of his imploring expression. Her shoulders rose in a helpless shrug. "Beast Boy... Terra could barely maintain control of her powers before. And even though months have passed for us, Terra has been trapped in time. To suddenly be awoken from her imprisonment and then burdened by such a dramatic increase in her powers... I'm – I'm not certain that it's safe for her to remain here any longer."</p><p>Beast Boy's shocked gasp was drowned out by Kasumi's. The normally docile woman spun on Raven, a look of pure outrage (well, on anyone else it would have been mild disappointment, but on Kasumi it was the equivalent to foaming at the mouth). "You couldn't <em>possibly </em>be suggesting asking Terra to <em>leave</em>? For all this vaunted <em>power </em>you keep talking about, that poor girl is filled with confusion and loneliness and guilt. She – she would be <em>helpless</em> if we abandoned her in such a state!"</p><p>Beast Boy's eyes widened. He couldn't remember hearing Kasumi sound so passionate about anything... <em>ever</em>.</p><p>Raven's violet eyes narrowed within the depths of her hood. "You think that I don't know the emotional turmoil she is experiencing? I-"</p><p>The dark Titan's retort was cut off when Robin suddenly stepped between the clashing females (once again proving Beast Boy's theory that the Boy Wonder had a serious death wish) and held up his hands to placate them both. The masked hero then turned a serious look to first Raven, then Kasumi.</p><p>"Raven, Kasumi, please. This isn't the time to be arguing, and you both raise valid concerns." Robin turned to look at Raven. "You are absolutely correct, Raven. Terra's unexpected increase in power and her already shaky control of that power make her a serious danger to all of us with every moment that she is here."</p><p>Before the disbelieving looks in Beast Boy's and Kasumi's eyes could develop into disbelieving outbursts, Robin quickly turned to look Kasumi in the eye, a small smile spreading on his lips.</p><p>"Which is exactly why we <em>can't </em>let her leave."</p><p>Beast Boy's shout (which had been about ninety percent likely to be an expletive) died on his lips. He maintained his disbelieving expression, though it was for a different reason, now.</p><p>Robin shook his head. "Raven is right, Terra is almost a ticking time bomb the way she is. It would be irresponsible of us to send Terra out into the city in the state she's in... so what safer place, for the city and all the people that live in it, for her to stay than right here, on an island in the middle of the bay?"</p><p>Cyborg nodded in complete agreement. "And, really, who out there is better equipped to help Terra train her power than us? Girl ain't gonna learn nothing up on no Satellite, that's for sure."</p><p>Beast Boy finally allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. He'd been really worried there for a minute.</p><p>Raven shook her head ruefully, a small, knowing smile gracing her lips. "You speak as if that outcome was ever really in doubt. I do have one question, though: Who, exactly, is Terra's miraculous instructor to be?"</p><p>Every set of eyes (excepting one) quickly came to rest on the dark Titan, appraising looks abounding. Kasumi's smile was positively sunny as she studied Raven. "It <em>would </em>be a wonderful chance for the two of you to bond. It's obvious that there is still some small amount of tension between the two of you."</p><p>Cyborg grinned wickedly. "And, if Terra's power is all mumbo jumbo like you said, then who better to teach her than you?"</p><p>Raven's eyes narrowed to slits. "You did <em>not </em>just compare <em>me</em> to that top hat-wearing nit-wit."</p><p>Even as the massive teen quickly ducked behind the much narrower frame of Kasumi to hide from Raven's growling visage, Robin nodded in agreement.</p><p>"Terrible analogies aside, no one here has more knowledge of energy control than you. Between your normal meditation techniques and everything you've learned from Cologne; I can't imagine anyone better to train Terra."</p><p>The dark Titan seemed to consider Robin's words for a long, long moment (far longer than Beast Boy was able to pay attention – <em>Hey, shiny monitor</em>!), only to shake her head. She quickly raised a hand to forestall any coming arguments.</p><p>"You all know Terra as well as I do. Do you really think that meditation and self-restraint would suit her? Then, of course, there is the fact that I've never actually trained anyone in anything before. I find it highly unlikely that I would have the patience for such an endeavor, or that Terra would respond to my methods," explained the hooded Titan matter-of-factly.</p><p>Beast Boy grumbled loudly. "But, <em>Raven</em>, you gotta do it! It's not like we have a butt-load of experienced meta-human trainers sitting around the Tower. I mean, you don't wanna send her off to train with Batman or something, do you?"</p><p>Even as Robin blanched at the mental image of Terra training under his old mentor, Raven shook her head again, her smile growing slyer. "Actually, we <em>do </em>have one experienced meta-human trainer under the roof. In fact, considering just how close Jinx came to defeating me in our last encounter, I would say his credentials are quite excellent."</p><p>Beast Boy, Robin and Cyborg all shared a singular confused look. Kasumi, on the other hand, suddenly brightened considerably.</p><p>"Oh, my! Do you really think that would work? He did focus mainly on combat training, after all."</p><p>Raven shrugged. "His knowledge of energy manipulation is second only to mine, and where Terra would likely resist my influence at every turn, I believe that she would respond positively to any lesson he offered."</p><p>The three males continued to share their confused glance, until Robin's eyes suddenly widened in realization. "<em>Oh</em>! Right! Ryouga was a combat instructor at the H.I.V.E. Academy." His look of revelation quickly descended back into confusion, though, as he turned back to Raven. "But what makes you think she would respond to Ryouga's training any more favorably than yours?"</p><p>At that, Raven simply smiled, the twist of her lips as unfathomable as the ocean.</p><p>"Oh, I have a feeling, is all."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>A low growl rumbled in Ryouga's throat... but it quickly died away as his anxious pacing once again brought the huddled form of Terra, so tenderly held in Starfire's powerful arms, back into view. The flame haired beauty continued to run a gentle hand through the younger girl's long blonde hair while she whispered into Terra's ear.</p><p>Terra was still awake, though she had cried herself out a few hours earlier. A good thing, that, since even thirty stories up, some of the slight girl's outbursts had caused the tower to tremble worryingly.</p><p>And then he turned again, and the dark growl welled up in his throat once more. It was a problem of his, he knew, letting his anger rule him so easily. It was even worse in this situation, since there was absolutely nothing for him to pin his anger to. Who could he blame? Beast Boy, for getting himself hurt? Terra, for an accident she couldn't have possibly foreseen? Or himself... for some reason even he couldn't figure out yet.</p><p>Damnit, where was Ranma when you needed a scapegoat?</p><p>It was so hard to accept that this was just... just an accident. Wasn't there always someone at fault when something bad happened? Life had always seemed so much simpler when that had been the case.</p><p>Again, his aimless meandering brought Terra and Starfire in sight, and again the growl in his throat was silenced. What kind of jerk was he, anyway? It was obvious that <em>Terra </em>was the one really suffering, and all he could dwell on were his own feelings of uselessness. If only there were someth-</p><p>"W-would you <em>please </em>stop pacing? You're starting to drive me crazy."</p><p>Ryouga started at the young blonde's ardent request. "<em>Ah? </em>Oh – yeah, yeah, no problem, Terra!"</p><p>Not sure what else to do, he quickly moved and knelt beside the pair of girls. His would-be sister offered him a weak smile as he did, though the strain of that smile was woefully apparent. Wanting to do more than just sit there, he tentatively dropped a callused hand to the blonde's narrow shoulder.</p><p>"...You – you really shouldn't feel bad, Terra," he offered uncertainly. "I – I mean, Beast Boy is gonna be fine. Kasumi told us herself! It's only a matter of time before he wakes up."</p><p>Unfortunately, his words didn't seem to help, as the young woman suddenly sniffed loudly, her voice choking up with unshed tears. "B-b-b-but – but now he'll <em>hate </em>me!" she cried fervently. "I'm gonna... I'm gonna have to leave, I <em>just know it</em>!"</p><p>Ryouga quickly lifted his hands in a warding gesture. "Hey now! That is <em>not </em>going to happen!"</p><p>Starfire pulled the nearly crying girl to her chest tightly. "<em>Never</em> would we allow for your ejection from the tower. You are our beloved friend, and we will <em>never </em>turn our backs on you!"</p><p>Slowly, Terra looked up, catching the Tamaranean's brilliant emerald eyes with her shimmering, sapphire gaze. "D-do you <em>really </em>mean that?"</p><p>The alien girl simply nodded; her smile filled with boundless confidence.</p><p>The fanged warrior nodded, trying to match the vivacious girl's boundless certainty. "And I'm quite sure the only person more fanatical about keeping you here than us... is Beast Boy. There's <em>no </em>way that he'll let anyone even <em>think </em>about kicking you out."</p><p>Terra looked to him, then back to Starfire, before shaking her head forcefully. "But I <em>hurt </em>him. I hurt him <em>so </em>bad! There's no way he would want to see me again."</p><p>Starfire shook her head slowly, an ironic smile spreading across her lips. "I believe that there is nothing that would please our dear friend so much as the sight of you."</p><p>"But... but how could he <em>possibly </em>forgive me?"</p><p>It was Ryouga's turn to shake his head. "You... would be surprised at just how forgiving the Titans can be."</p><p>Unexpectedly, the blonde-haired hero fired a heated glare his way. "How would <em>you </em>know? How could <em>you</em> understand?"</p><p>The martial artist rocked back slightly. "I-"</p><p>
  <em>The sickening crack of bone snapping rang through his ears as his leg collided with the dark Titan's side...</em>
</p><p>"- I... Just – just trust me... I understand," he muttered in a low voice. He felt a strong desire to run to the elevator right then and there. The unsettled feeling that just surged through his stomach made the prospect of finding a washroom very appealing.</p><p>Something in his voice, or maybe even in his eyes must have registered to the youngest Titan, since she quickly took to staring at the toes of her dusty running shoes.</p><p>"Do not worry yourself, my precious, precious friend," came Starfire's soothing words. "This troublesome scenario was an accident and nothing more. You are no more at fault for what occurred than I, myself, was, and I know, with all of my heart, that you will find forgiveness to be in great supply this day."</p><p>Ryouga almost cracked a smile at his dearest friend's whimsical words, would have, if not for the vile sting of memories-best-left-buried. How lucky he was, all of them, really, for the presence of the Tamaranean princess. She had been his life raft through the darkest days that followed his escape from the Academy, and so it seemed fitting that she would do the same for Terra.</p><p>The blonde in question turned a weak smile Starfire's way. "T-thanks... Starfire. That means a lot to me. Terra then turned her gaze his way, a bit of guilt flooding into those saucer sized sapphire eyes. "I'm... I'm sorry, Ryouga. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I know that you've had problems too... and you're just trying to help..."</p><p>He smirked at that. "I think <em>trying </em>is the operative word, here. You know, if Ranma was here, he'd probably be making some lame joke about <em>me </em>actually trying to cheer someone <em>else</em> up."</p><p>"Heh," came a weak, heartening chuckle, "T-this Ranma guy sound like kind of a jerk..."</p><p>Instantly, Ryouga's smirk bloomed into a <em>wide </em>smile, even as Starfire's emerald eyes rolled with aplomb.</p><p>"You just let me <em>tell </em>you about Ran-"</p><p>His excited rant was cut off by the audible sound of the rooftop elevator door sliding open. The three Titans turned quickly, palpable anticipation in the air, to regard the duo which exited the transport. Robin and Cyborg joined them on the roof, the glinting rays of the setting sun reflecting brilliantly across the latter's indestructible armor. A hush covered the roof for a moment, even the eternal whisper of the ocean breeze muted itself as the pair stood over the huddled trio...</p><p>And then Cyborg smiled.</p><p>All at once, relief flooded Ryouga, and he saw Starfire nearly collapse to the roof with an audible sigh of joy. Terra, though, leapt to her feet and ran forward to drop her hands desperately on Robin's shoulders.</p><p>"Beast Boy, he's alright, right?" she asked with equally intense desperation.</p><p>Not wasting a moment, the Boy Wonder nodded, a smile growing to match his cohorts. "He just woke up a little bit ago. He's still pretty sore, but he'll make a full recovery in no time... provided he actually lets Raven help him."</p><p>Terra's groan of relief was enough to drop her to her knees, and tears began to flow anew from her eyes. Thankfully, these new tears didn't evoke the same feelings of guilt and uselessness that the last ones had, as the girl's joyous laughter proved quite quickly that she was ecstatic about the news.</p><p>All too soon, though, both the tears and the laughter dried. Slumping back to rest on her bottom, Terra stared avidly at the ground between her knees. "I... I guess it's time for me to leave, then? I-I completely understand, I don-"</p><p>She was cut off by Robin's gentle pull on her arm, raising her back to her feet. The wide smile that had adorned his lips had vanished as well, replaced by a grim line. With a sort of finality, the masked vigilante shook his head from side to side.</p><p>"We didn't come up here to ask you to leave, Terra..."</p><p>Hopeful expressions began to bloom across the rooftop-</p><p>"We came to tell you that you <em>can't </em>leave," stated Robin, deadly serious.</p><p>"... Huh?"</p><p>Ryouga wasn't sure if it had been him to say it, or Terra, or Starfire, or even all three of them. Hope crashed into confusion at the alien statement, and the trio could only stare at their leader in anticipation of an explanation.</p><p>Robin took in a long breath, only to release it in a beleaguered sigh. Cyborg, looking extremely uncomfortably, crossed his arms before his massive chest, and stepped up to support his friend.</p><p>"Terra," Robin began slowly, "This wasn't an easy decision for me to make, however, we cannot, in all good conscience, allow you to leave the tower as things stand."</p><p>Terra tilted her head to the side inquisitively, apparently still a few bananas short of comprehension. Slowly, Starfire rose to stand beside the slight blonde, a questioning look in her eyes as well.</p><p>"Please explain yourself, Robin. Your words are joyous, but the tone with which you speak them is highly disturbing. How could the prospect of our friend remaining in our company be such a difficult decision for you to arrive at?"</p><p>Ryouga found himself in total agreement. There was a wide difference between telling someone they could stay and telling them they <em>couldn't </em>leave. What was the masked vigilante's angle?</p><p>Carefully, Robin rested his hands on Terra's shoulders and matched her gaze with white, pupil-less eyes. "Terra, you <em>know </em>why we have to do this. Your powers have grown beyond your ability to control them. We can't risk letting you out into the city."</p><p>Dismally, Terra's gaze dropped back to her toes. At the same time, Ryouga felt his hackles raising; his unruly heart and his common sense argued back and forth to balance both sides of the situation, but considering how uncommon said common sense was, it was a fairly one-sided debate. He prepared a scathing response –</p><p>When Robin smirked knowingly.</p><p>"We can't risk letting you out into the city... until we've completely helped you to bring your powers under control again," stated the Boy Wonder happily.</p><p>Even as Ryouga's anger flagged, Terra's hope surged forth again. She looked up, an expression of joy in her eyes that was more commonly found in certain Tamaraneans. "You – you really <em>mean it</em>? You're actually... you're actually going to <em>help </em>me?"</p><p>Robin nodded. "That's what friends are for, Terra. Besides, now that Ryouga isn't busy trying to revive you, he's obviously going to need <em>something</em> to fill all of his free time now."</p><p>Ryouga nodded-</p><p>"<em>Wha</em>-? Hey, wait just a second! What do you mean, 'Ryouga'?"</p><p>Cyborg let out a bark of laughter and dropped a hand onto Ryouga's shoulder. "Dude, why are you even acting surprised?"</p><p>Terra leveled an unreadable glance his way. "What? You don't <em>want </em>to train me?"</p><p><em>Oh, crap</em>... "<em>No</em>! No, that's not what I meant! It's just – just that-"</p><p>"I believe what Ryouga is attempting to state," came the blessed assistance of Starfire, "Is: Would it not be Raven who would be the more obvious choice to train Terra in the use of her power?"</p><p>Even Ryouga noticed the visible wince from Terra the moment that Raven's name was mentioned, but wasn't completely sure what it could mean. "Yeah, Kori's right. Raven knows a lot more about this kind of thing than I do."</p><p>Suddenly, Cyborg slid closer, wrapping his arm around Ryouga's shoulders. "Hey, you're preachin' to the choir here, Ryo. It's just that <em>Raven </em>suggested that you should be Terra's teacher."</p><p>"<em>Oh</em>... she did?" asked the fanged boy quickly. Well, that changed things. If Raven thought he could do it, then obviously she had a good reason. "Well, I guess that's alright then."</p><p>Cyborg and Robin just smiled knowingly while Starfire rolled her eyes fondly. Terra, on the other hand-</p><p>"What? That's it? Suddenly you're all ready to play Mr. Teacher?" Hmm, for some reason, the young girl looked to be annoyed, though for the life of him, Ryouga couldn't figure out why.</p><p>"Um... yes?" he replied tentatively.</p><p>The young blonde held her glare for another second, before finally dropping it with a loud sigh. A moment later, she looked up once more, a cheerful smile beginning to split her face. "Well, I guess it isn't all that bad. One on one lessons with a legendary martial arts master?"</p><p>"This could be pretty fun!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The familiar sensation of ancient wood crushing into her shoulder heralded an explosion of searing pain which wracked her entire body. It was quickly followed by the feeling of the ground being torn from beneath her feet. Even as the stars danced through her vision, she managed to herd up just enough of her scattered senses to twist in the air so that she didn't land straight on her neck.</p><p>Another explosion of agony, as that same shoulder slammed into the roof beneath her, though it was short lived, as the force of the blow sent her skipping like a stone. All semblance of control was left behind with that first impact, the second and third bounces landing on her leg, then her back at awkward and painful angles.</p><p>Then, for just a flash of time, everything went white. Her head cracked into the masonry of the rooftop bunker with a crunch that would have been worrying had she had the sense to hear it. The rest of her body rebounded from its harsh contact with the wall, dropping her to hands and knees, but through some miracle, not completely into the darkness of unconsciousness.</p><p>A wheezing cough rocked her narrow frame, and even through the darkness of the night and the swimming of her vision, the dark crimson stain that sprayed onto the roof was quite vivid.</p><p>Again, with the taste of copper in her mouth... she was really starting to hate it.</p><p>With a wet groan, Jinx lifted her gaze to her attacker, the look of determination never leaving her slitted eyes.</p><p>With a resigned sigh, Happosai slowly shook his head. "Sloppy, Jinx, very sloppy. Honestly, sometimes I feel that training you is like trying to train a Ming vase."</p><p>Despite the pain that ravaged every inch of her body (...actually, her little toe was feeling okay... either that or it was too numb to feel any more) Jinx chuckled, doing her best to ignore the red line of spittle dangling from her crimson lips.</p><p>"H-heh... does that... does that mean you think I'm priceless?"</p><p>Her master's wizened lips twisted up into a warm smile (was it odd that she could tell it was genuine?) and casually tapped out his pipe on the ledge. "At the very least, I will say that you are an investment. Only time will tell if it will pay off, though." He looked her over, a calculating look in his eye. "Having trouble getting up, Disciple? You don't need a hand, do you?"</p><p>Jinx shook her head furiously (only pulling two more muscles in the process). Drawing on reserves of sheer will that she hadn't even imagined existed mere months ago, the slender sorceress pushed herself to her feet and used her sleeve to wipe the blood from her lips. A single step forward informed her that her left ankle had been twisted in that last tumble, but not badly enough that she couldn't walk on it.</p><p>Wincing with every step, she eventually managed to cross the twenty feet to shakily sit beside her master. By the time she did, he had already refilled his pipe and was taking in a long draw from it.</p><p>"I wasn't sloppy," she mumbled darkly after a long silence. "There was no way I could have dodged that one."</p><p>Her master let out a lungful of air, whimsically shaping the forming cloud into the shape of a brassier, apparently by sheer force of will. Taking a moment to study his work before he was satisfied, the ancient warrior then shook his head. "You weren't meant to, Disciple. I wanted to see how well you recovered from the attack. Sloppy... very sloppy."</p><p>Her eyes clenched shut and her fingers curled into the torn and stained ruins of her skirt. He was right, of course. She knew how to fall, had learned those basics long before starting this insane training. She had just let herself get distracted by the pain, and the surprise of the sudden increase in his speed. Even her first landing had been sloppy, but bouncing twice and slamming into a wall? Who the hell was she supposed to be: Mammoth?</p><p>"Tut, tut, my dear." She felt a tiny hand on her shoulder, offering a small amount of comfort. "Don't tear yourself up over it. That <em>is </em>why we're training, after all."</p><p>Her eyes opened at that, and she turned her pink orbs towards her master, a weak smile forming on her stained lips. "Don't worry, I'll get it perfect next time."</p><p>"Heh, I've no doubt, no doubt at all." He met her determined gaze, a trickle of pride sneaking into his owlish eyes. "Despite your glass-like constitution, your training has been coming along quite well."</p><p>Jinx rolled her eyes at the backhanded compliment. Her body might not have shattered the brick wall to dust, but neither had the brick wall crushed her body to paste.</p><p>"And you've very nearly mastered the technique I've been teaching you. Even faster than I expected, considering the... complications," he continued proudly.</p><p>Jinx nodded again, though her attention was only half on her master by that point. The catalogue of ouchies that her mind was tallying up was nearly done, and some of the nastier scrapes were starting to burn in the cool, night air.</p><p>"In fact, your training is coming along so well, that I think it's almost time that we finally made our rendezvous with Nabiki. You've more than earned a short vacation."</p><p>The young sorceress perked up immediately. "You really mean it?"</p><p>She would have injected a little more excitement into her inquiry, but the ringing in her ears was starting to annoy her. Judging by recent experience, it shouldn't last more than another minute or two, but then, mild concussions always <em>were</em> bothersome.</p><p>Her master nodded again, taking another draw from his pipe. "Indeed. However, before we do, I wanted to set up another small test for you, considering our last one was... co-opted, if you will."</p><p>Jinx's lips twisted into a vindictive sneer. "So what hero are we going after next, then? I could use a good punching bag after these past few weeks."</p><p>Happosai graced her with an odd look for a moment, before shrugging his tiny shoulders. "You know, my Disciple, there's more than one way to build a reputation. Sometimes the only thing more impressive than defeating your enemies... is besting your allies."</p><p>She returned his odd look with interest. "Huh?"</p><p>His chuckles rustled like fallen leaves. "Think about it, girl. Heroes aren't the only ones with reputations. Villains have reputations too... and very few villains on this continent have darker reputations than those of Gotham city."</p><p>A shudder of apprehension ran down Jinx's spine and her eyes widened at the very thought. Fighting villains? But villains fought for keeps, villains fought dirty, villains were just plain <em>evil</em>.</p><p>She would know, considering she was one!</p><p>"Wha-? But why?" she asked in confusion.</p><p>"HA! What better way to confuse the heck out of everyone? Besides, Gotham city is on our way to Steel City, anyway."</p><p>"But... fighting other <em>villains</em>? Are you sure that's a good idea?"</p><p>Apparently, she wasn't hiding her nervousness very well, as her master matched her gaze seriously for a moment. "I know it might be an intimidating prospect, but think about it, Gotham is the <em>perfect </em>place for you to make your move."</p><p>She quirked an eyebrow. "Explain."</p><p>He smiled a knowing smile. "Well, consider this Joker fellow I've heard so much about. Here's a man that paints his face and dresses like he was blind, and yet his name is spoken in hushed tones from one side of the country to the other."</p><p>Jinx nodded. The Joker was practically required reading back at the Academy. 'Keep your enemies close and keep your friends at least ten yards away at all times.' As the old motto went.</p><p>"However, despite his reputation, he is still just a man; granted, a bit loopy, but a man, nonetheless. He doesn't have any powers, nothing I've read about him indicates he's much in the way of a fighter. So, once you look past the glitz and glamour of the legend, what, <em>really</em>, is stopping a highly trained metahuman like yourself from just waltzing in and trouncing the young upstart?"</p><p>Jinx just stared at the diminutive master for a long moment. Her common sense battled her pride in a one-on-one showdown for the ages. The former screamed at her that she was a colossal idiot for even considering the idea, while the latter crowed that even humiliating Superman would be nothing compared to the name she would create toppling the Crown Prince of Crime himself.</p><p>Happosai must have been able to see her internal struggle since he chuckled in amusement. "Not that I'm saying you need to go after <em>that </em>one so early in your training. The Batman has gathered himself a most cunning gallery of rogues, and powers or not, if you let yourself play by their rules, you'll likely find yourself dead before you realize it."</p><p>Her eyes rolled dramatically. "Yeah, that makes me feel <em>sooo </em>much better."</p><p>Another bark of wheezing laughter. "You just have to learn to pick your battles, Disciple, and learn how to make your opponents dance to <em>your </em>tune and not the other way around. Don't you worry, though, I'll help you understand what I mean on the way."</p><p>The young sorceress considered his words carefully, already trying to piece together his intended meaning. Overall, the plan sounded stupid and dangerous... but no more so than was usual for her master's plans now that she thought about it. Besides, it was just one more hurdle between her and finally getting to see Ryouga again...</p><p>A wistful sigh escaped her lips as the image of a certain fanged boy filled her mind. It had been so <em>long</em>. Months filled with nothing but her training and her master. Granted, she'd grown fonder of the ancient pervert than she would ever, <em>ever </em>admit, but ever since her chance meeting with Mousse, it seemed like the only thing keeping her going lately was the thought of seeing her clueless Lost Boy again.</p><p>Okay, sure, so maybe she was traipsing a little close to the edge of obsession, but it wasn't exactly like she had any <em>other </em>over-arching life goals to strive for.</p><p>"Alright, then, Happi, let's get this show on the road!"</p><p>Her ancient master leapt dramatically to his feet in response, brandishing his pipe with flair. "Happosai and Jinx of the Anything Goes School of Indiscriminate Grappling are going to <em>Gotham City</em>!"</p><p>And may the gods have mercy on their souls.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Terra was nervous.</p><p>Now, to put this into perspective, one had to remember that Terra was a frightfully powerful geokinetic. Combine that with the fact that Terra also possessed no small amount of experience battling villains and heroes too terrible and wondrous to describe with disturbing frequency. And to top off this badass sundae, it was quite recently revealed to Terra that she was now more powerful than she could even imagine due to strange forces beyond her understanding.</p><p>And yet, Terra was nervous.</p><p>But then, being trussed up in a burlap sack and hung up from a twenty-foot metal post while your (supposed) savior was busying himself with the activity of gathering a good-sized pile of boulders while eying you appraisingly...</p><p>Terra was nervous.</p><p>She looked to the hand of her right arm - the other arm having been tied behind her back- or, more specifically, to the single finger which poked out of the cloth bandanna which he'd wrapped around her hand. She wiggled the digit experimentally, comparing the slender finger to the hefty stones piling up before her 'instructor'</p><p>"Ummmm...  Ryouga?" she inquired nervously.</p><p>Ryouga looked up attentively, a wide smile on his face. "Don't you worry, Terra. I think I've got just about enough boulders. We should be able to start real soon!"</p><p>A nervous bead of sweat trickled down the frail girl's brow. The slow sway of her body in the wind only accentuated just how uncomfortable she was in her trussed-up state. Normally, she was quite sure that any girl would have balked at the idea of letting a guy tie them up so thoroughly; the idea of leaving oneself open to unthinkably lewd acts being too disturbing to ignore...</p><p>But <em>nooooo</em>, she had trusted Ryouga's intentions. She <em>knew </em>he would never do anything <em>lewd </em>to her!</p><p>Another boulder dropped onto the pile with a sharp crack.</p><p>Oh, how she <em>wished</em> he were just planning something lewd now-</p><p>
  <em>Wait, that didn't sound quite right... </em>
</p><p>"Ah, Ryouga?" she started again. "About this training. Don't you think it's a bit... " she struggled to find an appropriate term.</p><p>"Intense?" her trainer offered helpfully.</p><p>"<em>Psychotic!</em>"</p><p>Ryouga effortlessly lifted one of the two-foot spheres of roughly hewn rock and examined it critically. He then looked her way in confusion. "What? These are way smaller than the ones I used to learn the technique. Besides, with your power, you shouldn't have any trouble finding the breaking point."</p><p>She stared at him incredulously. "You do realize that you still haven't explained exactly <em>how </em>I'm supposed to do that, right?"</p><p>His head tilted to the side in puzzlement. "What? Sure, I did. You just gotta see it with your mind's eye. That's how Cologne taught me to do it, and it only took me a week. I figure you should have it down way before that."</p><p>"<em>It took you a week</em>?"</p><p>Ryouga nodded amiably, before hefting the hefty boulder over his head. "Six days, actually, but time really flies when you black out. Now, let's get started!" With that, he reared back to throw-</p><p>Terra's shrill scream of terror rang in her own ears as she instantly panicked and hid behind her free arm in an act of futile desperation. The crushing impact would come any second now.</p><p>...um... any second <em>now?</em></p><p>Gradually, the bound blonde's scream petered off and she slowly peeked out from behind her narrow arm.</p><p>
  <em>Hey, when did that pillar get there?</em>
</p><p>And indeed, there was a stone pillar before her, roughly eight feet high and four feet in diameter... and standing near the large pile of rocks that Ryouga had gathered. She stared at the monolith for another moment, confusion replacing concentration...</p><p>As she did, the pillar suddenly seemed to lose cohesion, splitting in half straight down the middle. A moment later, each half of the large monument fell away, crashing to the ground with a pair of great, hollow <em>'Thuds'</em>.</p><p>To reveal the crumpled figure of one Ryouga Hibiki standing in the center.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>From her position on the roof, Raven winced in sympathy as she watched the bandanna clad warrior collapse to the ground in a heap. Slowly, she turned to look to her fellow Titans, also watching the spectacle from the (relative) safety of the tower's roof. One by one, she pierced each of them with a knowing glance.</p><p>"And <em>that </em>is why Ryouga is better suited to training Terra."</p><p>Oddly, no one argued her point.</p><p>For her part, Kasumi just sighed in resignation.</p><p>"I'll go warm up the crash cart."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Raven released a forlorn sigh as she ran the ornate brush through her hair yet again. Her hair had long since been reined into utter perfection by her efforts, falling to frame her face as perfectly as it ever had...  And yet she continued to stare at her reflection in the long, full length mirror before her. She should already be in bed, she knew; was already wearing her nightgown for that matter, and yet there she was, brushing hair that rarely dared to fall out of place at the worst of times.</p><p>A small part of her still felt guilty for sacrificing Ryouga on the altar of pain that was Terra. It had been a necessary sacrifice; while her tolerance for pain was leaps and bounds above Beast Boy's, the Lost Boy existed on an entirely different plane when it came the exquisite art of suffering... physically, anyway. And she had no doubt that the unavoidable clashes between her own personality and that of Terra's wild spirit would have yielded similar results.</p><p>Not that she had <em>expected</em> him to start off with such a boneheaded maneuver. Really? Training Terra in the Bakusai Tenketsu? Maybe she should call Ranma and have him remind Ryouga that he wasn't in Nerima anymore?</p><p>Unfortunately, that was hardly the only thing on her mind preventing her from falling into the clutches of sleep that night. Absently she turned to and fro, critically examining the young woman standing before her in the mirror. The nightgown she wore clung tightly to her frame, leaving little to the imagination beneath its midnight silk.</p><p>A single question had been occurring to her with increasing and disturbing frequency lately:</p><p>
  <em>Am I attractive?</em>
</p><p>It was so hard for her to judge. She knew that Starfire was attractive, numerous people often told the exotic alien such. But she wasn't like Starfire, she wasn't as trim and athletic as her friend, nor as tall. Her hair was short and stark, not long, and luxurious like her friend's. More telling was her inability to remember if anyone had ever <em>told</em> her that she was beautiful before.</p><p>Of course, Starfire told her that often enough, but considering that the Tamaranean thought Mustard was on par with a fine vintage of wine, it was difficult to take her opinion with less than a grain of salt. Besides, it would be nice to hear a <em>male </em>tell her she was attractive... if only for the novelty value.</p><p>She sighed again, forcing herself to place her brush on her nightstand with a thud of finality. It had been so much easier when she'd never had to bother with concerns over her physical appearance. Unfortunately, the focus of her guilt was the same focus of her very confusing self-analysis.</p><p>What did Ryouga see when he looked at her? She knew that there was... <em>something </em>between them. She wasn't sure what it was anymore; whatever it was, it was just a faint spark, the fragile remnants of what had come before.  Fiercely stamped on by the violations of the Headmaster.</p><p>She allowed herself a small flight of fancy, wondering what the Lost Boy's reaction would be if she were to appear in his room right that moment. Instantly her cheeks flushed with color... only to fade back to their natural pale tone a second later.</p><p>Had Jinx ever had that very same thought... and if so, had <em>she </em>followed through with it? It was not a comfortable thought. Raven knew that Ryouga was still harboring strong feelings for the vindictive sorceress. Was it just Jinx's body that had spurred the Lost Boy's affection? Sadly, she knew the answer before she even thought the question. Whatever bond the martial artist and the villain shared, it went well beyond the base concept of lust...</p><p>With a weary sigh, Raven finally walked over to her bed and dropped down to the soft mattress with a dull thump. She almost felt bad for Terra. It was obvious to the empath that the geokinetic girl was forming a crush on the resident combat expert. If only the girl knew the quagmire of emotional baggage that she was so recklessly skirting.</p><p>Groaning now, Raven flopped back onto the bed and willed her bedside lamp to flare to life. Her current train of thought was painful and confusing and frustrating, but it was still preferable to the alternative of sleep.</p><p>As such, she was pleasantly surprised when her communicator began beeping. Considering she was currently in the tower and no alarm was ringing, it was obvious that there was no crisis in the hatching, which left only one real possibility of who it could be. In a flash of ebony telekinesis, her communicator floated to her hands and she opened it eagerly.</p><p>The familiar face of her pigtailed pen-pal flashed to life on the tiny screen, looking surprisingly sharp in his SNDF uniform and barrette.</p><p>...What? Just because she had doubts as to whether she was attractive or not didn't mean she was totally clueless on the subject.</p><p>"Hey there, Rae! I'm not calling too late for ya, am I?"</p><p>Raven looked to the digital readout on her communicator. <em>Three A.M.? Is it actually that late</em>?</p><p>"You don't usually call this late, Ranma, is something wrong?"</p><p>He shook his head, smiling in that dashing manner of his. "Nah, pretty much the opposite, actually. I just got finished talkin' to the Lie-ahem-Commander, and he wanted me to pass on his personal thanks to Robin. Bird Boy's idea to form a bridge of communication between Commissioner Gordon and Commander Daizo went over really well. The Commander was happy to get information and insight from someone so seasoned in dealing with vigilantes and super villains. Heck, with just the dossiers he's gotten so far, he says it's gonna go a long way to help shape the direction the Super Normal Defense Forces are going to take."</p><p>A faint twist of her lip had the dark Titan smiling despite herself. "And you were so thrilled at the prospect of all the work that your superior is no doubt preparing to drop on your shoulders, that this heartfelt thank you couldn't wait until morning?"</p><p>The cheerful look on her companion's face dropped like a stone. "Don't remind me. Half of the stuff Daizo got from Gordon got dropped on my desk<em>."</em> Never one to be defeated for long, the pigtailed officer's smile returned in a flash. "Besides, I had an odd feeling that calling you now wouldn't be a bad idea, and it looks like I was right."</p><p>An odd thought struck her. "Remind me again, if the Commander asked you to give Robin his thanks, then why exactly are you bothering <em>me?" </em>Not that she minded the distraction, but she had a reputation to maintain after all.</p><p>Ranma's smile grew three sizes in that instant. "Uh, let me think about that. Should I chat with a scrawny kid who plays with boomerangs, or a cute girl that happens to be one of my best friends? <em>Hmmm</em>, tough choice there."</p><p>To her credit, Raven didn't blush at the unexpected compliment. No, she was far too busy rolling her eyes at the sheer irony. <em>For the first time I can recall, I receive a compliment... and it is from the exact opposite of the person that I was hoping to receive said compliment from</em>. It appeared that life was, indeed, just that unfair.</p><p>It still felt wonderful to hear, though.</p><p>Apparently, she had taken too long to respond, as Ranma shot her a quizzical look through the tiny screen. "Y'know, you look pretty tired. Maybe I should let ya go, let you get to bed and all that."</p><p>The sudden threat of solitude spurred Raven's hurried response of, "W-wait!...   Don't you have any homework that you need help with? I'm not really tired and I could use something to distract me."</p><p>Ranma shook his head helplessly. "I dunno, Rae. I mean, I'm kinda at work right now..."</p><p>"...oh... I see. Well, I suppose I should let you get back to that, then-"</p><p>"Actually, y'know, now that I think about it..." Ranma's expression softened into something she couldn't quite identify. Fond amusement? "I <em>do</em> have a stack of metahuman dossiers that the Commander just <em>happens</em> to want analyzed for training purposes. Considering that more than a few of these files are from your neck of the woods, I bet you could be a real help!"</p><p>Raven felt her own smile return. Somehow, she had known that the pigtailed jock wouldn't let her down. Even better, the task at hand sounded like something she could really assist with. Feeling better by the moment, she quickly curled herself up in her blankets while Ranma started digging through his stack of criminal files.</p><p>The work went by easily. The first few files were criminals she didn't have any real knowledge of, but it was a pleasure to watch the pigtailed martial artist systematically break down the powers and weaknesses of each metahuman based solely on the information provided in the files. She did her best to help when and where she could, but she had to admit that her mind was not so finely tuned for the intricacies of combat as Ranma's was.</p><p>As a result, after only a half hour had passed, her mind was only half paying attention to the work at hand, and her morbid curiosity finally got the better of her. The question had been rolling around her head with growing frequency of late, and since she was completely incapable of going directly to the source for the answer, her pigtailed friend seemed like a perfect alternative.</p><p>"Ranma... you know Ryouga better than anyone else, right?"</p><p>Ranma groaned in reply. "I should'a <em>known</em> there'd be a catch to you wanting to help me!"</p><p>She didn't giggle at his antics; rather, she looked down, feeling the burning embarrassment from asking the question keenly.</p><p>Apparently, her pigtailed companion saw this, as a weary sigh quickly filtered through the communicator. "Yeah, yeah, I know Pork Butt pretty much as well as anyone <em>can </em>know him. Why do ya ask?"</p><p>If anything, her embarrassment only magnified, burning her cheeks with crimson heat, but she forced herself to push forward. She'd come too far to turn back now, and at least she would get an honest answer in return for her humiliation.</p><p>"Do you... do you know why Ryouga likes Jinx so much more than me?"</p><p>It was a fortunate stroke of fate that Ranma hadn't been drinking anything at that moment, as the young man almost certainly would have painted his computer with his spit-take if he had. It was immediately followed by stuttering denials and anxious deflections of, "I-I dunno what yer talkin' 'bout!"</p><p>She waited patiently for him to calm down once more, carefully maintaining their shared eye contact. When he did finally reign in his shock, she offered him a pointed stare, reiterating her question without the need for verbal repetition.</p><p>Apparently, he was learning her moods well, as he simply shook his head and released a beleaguered sigh. "Look, Rae, seriously, I know the kind of crazy, whacked out things that can pop into your head when you're all on your own in the dead of night. <em>Trust me, </em>I can relate... But – but why the heck are ya asking <em>me </em>about this?"</p><p>"Because no one knows Ryouga better than you. Because you're one of my closest friends, and the only person I feel comfortable talking to about this. And, because I know that you are tactless enough to tell me the truth, no matter how blunt it may be," she explained with a weak smile.</p><p>She allowed the pigtailed boy a moment to ruminate on that fact, an amusing array of emotions crossing his face as he did. She was new to the entire emotional entrapment game, but she'd been learning quite quickly as of late. She might have even felt guilty, were it not for the fact that everything she had said was completely true.</p><p>Finally, after settling on a rueful smile, Ranma shook his head once more. "Well, I guess a blatant lack of common sense and good taste would be the first things that spring to mind."</p><p>"Ranma, <em>please</em>, I'm being serious, here," she implored her friend.</p><p>Ranma matched her gaze for a long moment, the smile slowly dropping from his lips as he did. "Fine, fine. Just remember that you seriously owe me one, now. If it were anyone but you, I wouldn't even be wastin' my breath on this romance crap."</p><p>Raven smiled ruefully. "I really appreciate this, Ranma."</p><p>Slowly, Ranma shook his head from side to side. "I doubt you'll think that for too much longer. You sure you wouldn't prefer the comforting lie routine over the whole brutal honesty thing?"</p><p>"..."</p><p>"Rae?"</p><p>"I'm thinking," she replied half-heartedly. "Is it really that bad?"</p><p>Her companion sighed loudly, obviously dreading what he had to say as much as she was. "Look, Rae, I really hate to say it, I <em>really </em>do, but... but yer askin' yerself the wrong question. It isn't: Why does Ryouga like Jinx so much more than you? The real question you need to ask yourself is:</p><p>"Why does Jinx like Ryouga so much more than you?"</p><p>Had Raven been standing, she would have been rocked back to her heels at the question. "Ex-<em>excuse </em>me?"</p><p>"Hey, now. You said you wanted the truth." Ranma met her indignant glare with steely resolve. "I don't know what happened 'tween you and Ryouga. I know even less about what happened between Jinx and Ryouga, and I know about as much about love as Akane knows about cooking, but I do know one thing for sure.</p><p>"I only got to talk to Jinx for a few minutes, but even in that short time she made a helluva impression on me." The Saotome heir rubbed his cheek at some distant memory. "Look, I dunno what happened, or why, or when, but I know that girl loved Ryouga. I mean, hell, <em>no </em>sane person woulda done what she did for hi-"</p><p>Suddenly, Ranma's jaw clicked shut, giving the strong impression that the young man had just realized what he was saying, and that he probably shouldn't be saying it. Raven's eyes narrowed at his slip. She knew her memory of the entire Academy fiasco was spotty at best, but she couldn't remember Jinx doing anything overly memorable, and she had been with Ranma every step of the way.</p><p>"What exactly <em>did </em>she do-"</p><p>"That ain't important!" he cut her off quickly, a panicked look in his eyes. "Just think about it. Ryouga was willing to follow Akane to the ends of the earth; heck, the jackass woulda jumped on a sword if she'd wanted, and she didn't even <em>realize </em>it. Now tell me, if he had that kinda loyalty for someone that only thought of him as a friend, just what do ya think he would feel for a girl that actually <em>did </em>love him back?"</p><p>It took her a long moment to digest that question. "I... I don't even know what to say to that..."</p><p>Again, her friend shook his head, a look of guilt forming on his normally carefree features. "Look, Raven, I ain't sayin' you don't got a shot with him or nuthin'. I'm just saying that you shouldn't be thinking of this like a competition. What Ryouga thinks of you, and what he thinks of Jinx are two completely unrelated things; him likin' Jinx more don't mean he likes you less... just – I dunno – different..."</p><p>It was Raven's turn to sigh. She wasn't certain why, but her companion's incredibly strange logic had made some slight form of sense, for some unfathomable reason. It appeared that she did indeed owe him one; considering the pained look on his face, he didn't enjoy this conversation one bit. "Thank you, Ranma. As strange as it sounds, that actually made some sort of sense to me." She smiled weakly. "One would almost think you knew what you were talking about."</p><p>Immediately, Ranma rose to her playfully offered bait, a cocky smirk blooming on his lips. "Hey, I got three fiancée's and one certified loony chasin' after me, one of whom is my oldest childhood friend. D'you really think that I never think about this kinda stuff at all?"</p><p>Raven rolled her eyes fondly. "Yes, I do forget what a Playboy you are from time to time."</p><p>"<em>Hey</em>! You keep that up and the favor you <em>now owe me</em> is gonna be givin' me a good ol' Mousse style foot rub!"</p><p>Instantly, Raven's cheeks flushed red. "<em>Who told you about that</em>?"</p><p>Ranma cackled maniacally at her distress. "A not so little birdy might have mentioned it. Of course, I'm a lot more active than you, so you'll probably need to wash my feet pretty good firs-"</p><p>"Oh, shut up," she grumbled darkly. "Don't you have work you're supposed to be doing?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>-Meanwhile, three floors up-</p><p>Ryouga flopped over in his bed for the umpteenth time that night. The glaring red glow of his bedside alarm clock informed him that the hour was very nearly four in the A.M. and yet sleep had eluded him as thoroughly as the concept of North and West... or was it South? East?</p><p>Whatever.</p><p>Life just wasn't fair at times. Finally, after months of intense training and research, he had finally managed to free Terra from her stony prison. He was supposed to be free to live, to love, to laugh, to destroy massive tracts of personal property, just like in the good old days. And yet here he was, agonizing over the latest impossible problem to be so generously shoved in his lap.</p><p>The Wanderer instantly felt bad for thinking of the situation like that. Terra wasn't a burden; she was a friend, a friend in dire need of assistance to keep her from shaking the entire city to its foundations every time she sneezed.</p><p>But how could he, of all people, teach a geokinetic superhero how to control her powers? It didn't make any sense, there was practically no comparison, no point of reference between what he did, and what she did. He'd spent all his life learning to <em>do </em>things, and now they wanted to teach her how to <em>not </em>do something?</p><p>Why <em>wasn't </em>Raven training Terra? The dark Titan always explained that her mediation was used as a method to limit her powers, to restrain her emotions to a controllable level. That seemed like a much more obvious comparison of ability. Terra was too powerful now and needed to figure out how to tone it down, and Raven was the master of toning it down.</p><p>If Ryouga weren't so fond of the Titan girls, it would have galled him; the fact that these two girls just <em>were </em>so powerful. He had trained his entire life – at least, that's what it felt like at times – pushed himself to ridiculous extremes and endured devastating training... and yet, compared to so many people in the world, he would barely even constitute a blip on the radar.</p><p>Even though it was an utterly impossible scenario with absolutely zero chance of happening in reality... would he be able to defeat Terra in a fight? How <em>would </em>one fight a girl that could literally move mountains with a thought? Sure, the Shi Shi Houkodan had been created with earth moving in mind, but that was hardly a viable option any longer. Besides, even at his best, would it really be possible to <em>overpower </em>someone like Terra?</p><p>He knew that he certainly couldn't overpower Raven, and according to Beast Boy, Terra was supposed to be every bit as formidable. But, then again, Mousse very nearly took Raven out, easily could have if he hadn't held back at the beginning of their battle. The near-sighted warrior was no powerhouse, that was certain, but he was clever, skilled, and utilized a very intricate and unpredictable style.</p><p><em>Hmmm</em>...</p><p>The Lost Boy didn't like where his train of thought was leading him. The direct approach had always been his approach. Tricks and deceit, strategy, and tactics, those had always been the hallmarks of another martial artist.</p><p>No, there was <em>no</em> need to start thinking like that anytime soon. After all, even though he'd lost his ultimate technique, he still had a good repertoire of skills at his disposal. Maybe if he put as much thought into his Iron Cloth technique as he did to Terra's revival, he could start improving that as well. Then there was his rather dubious 'mastery' of the Hiryua Shoten Ha, but even Starfire had already surpassed his ability with that technique. Maybe it was time to put a little more thought into that as well, after all this time.</p><p>Of course, his most impressive leaps had been with the Bakusai Tenketsu. He chuckled evilly to himself. He sure would like to see the look on Cologne's face when he told her he restored Terra where she hadn't...</p><p>Ryouga's eyes snapped wide open and he slapped a hand to his forehead.</p><p>
  <em>Cologne!</em>
</p><p>If anyone might have a few ideas on how to train Terra, it would be her. After all, hadn't Cologne helped Raven greatly in the control of her powers?</p><p>It sure beat the heck out of the alternative: trying to track down Happosai and getting <em>his </em>help. As if that wrinkled old freak would do anything worthwhile with his time.</p><p>Now that he thought about it, he was surprised that he hadn't already thought to call the ancient Amazon about his success in the first place. Not that he wanted to brag or anything (well, actually, he did...) but his research into the Bakusai Tenketsu had raised a number of questions in his mind that she might be able to answer for him.</p><p>He looked to his clock again. Well, if it was early morning here, it shouldn't be too unreasonable of a time in China, no time like the present. Tingling with excitement, he quickly retrieved his communicator and flipped the device open.</p><p>He briefly noted that Raven's communicator appeared to be active but was too excited to pay it too much heed. Taking another moment to punch in the number for the ancient Matriarch, he could barely contain his smile as the device started beeping incessantly.</p><p>He was rewarded a little less than a minute later, as the tiny view screen flared to life, the familiar and withered face of his part time mentor filling the screen. The aged woman took a moment to finish chewing some unidentified foodstuff in her mouth, peering at the screen owlishly before finally speaking.</p><p>"What's this now? Who is that interrupting my breakfast?"</p><p><em>Oops</em>! Realizing the problem quickly, Ryouga flipped on his table lamp. As soon as the light bathed his room –eliciting a pained wince from him – recognition quickly bloomed in the ancient warrior's eyes. The fanged boy immediately offered her a fanged grin.</p><p>"Breakfast? Don't you mean supper? They don't have you working the night shift in your village, do they, Granny?"</p><p>Cologne simply shook her head in amusement. "Child, you could not even begin to imagine the magnitude of the tasks laid out before me." Her large, owlish eyes pierced his with clinical intent. "But enough of that, you obviously have a reason for contacting me, so out with it, Hibiki."</p><p>Ryouga nodded eagerly, completely incapable of keeping his grin from blooming into a full-blown smile. "I sure do! I <em>did </em>it, Granny! I actually <em>did </em>it!"</p><p>One of the wizened warrior's eyebrows arched in curiosity. "Did what? I don't have all day to play guessing games with foolish children."</p><p>His smile only grew, baring his fangs for all the world to see. "<em>Terra</em>! I finally saved Terra."</p><p>She stared at him in confusion for a short moment, before realization suddenly lit her features. "Garfield's unfortunate friend? The girl in the stone? You've revived her?"</p><p>He nodded again, beaming with pride. "That's right! It was a hell of a job, but with everyone's help, we finally did it."</p><p>Amazingly, Cologne's eyes widened, just for a moment, in a rare display of respect. The old lady then let out a low whistle. "Really. To imagine that one such as yourself has progressed so far in such a short time. I imagine your mastery of the Bakusai Tenketsu has increased significantly as well. Should I, perhaps, send a message of warning to my Future Son-in-law?" she chided teasingly.</p><p>Ryouga shook his head dismissively. "I'd really like to but, unfortunately, I have even bigger fish to fry now. In fact, that's part of the reason I called you."</p><p>He could tell he had perked the ancient warrior's interest as her eyes narrowed, just so, as she continued to examine him. He almost wondered if she could read his Ki through the communicator, before dismissing it as a silly notion. Rather than ask a pointless question, though, Cologne just silently waited for him to continue.</p><p>"Well," he began his explanation, "We finally revived Terra, however, we've... we've run into a bit of a snag."</p><p>"A...  snag?"</p><p>Another affirmative nod. "Yeah, nothing bad, or anything...  well, sorta bad, but not really-"</p><p>"Cut to the chase, Hibiki," Cologne barked in exasperation.</p><p>"Well, Terra is fine and all, but, for some reason, her powers are a lot more... well, powerful than they were before. Raven thinks it has something to do with her Ki being trapped in the earth for so long, but whatever the reason, Terra can't really control them anymore."</p><p>Cologne 'Ahh'd' in understanding. "I see your conundrum now. If the girl was as powerful as young Garfield described, then the power she may feasibly possess now would be most impressive."</p><p>"Yeah. So, I was kind of hoping that you could come by and help me train her to control her powers."</p><p>"Ah – wait a moment-" She stared at him piercingly. "<em>You </em>are training her? For what possible reason could they have possibly chosen you to train the girl? Why, with the training I provided her myself, Raven should be suitably equipped to at least begin the girl’s instruction."</p><p>Ryouga shrugged helplessly. "I'm not exactly sure myself. Raven and Kori were trying to tell me that knowing the Bakusai Tenketsu meant I was the best person to train Terra, though it didn't really make a lot of sense to me."</p><p>Cologne seemed to consider his words for a moment, tilting her head in thought. "Well, the Bakusai Tenketsu <em>does </em>require remarkable amounts of control, so there is some merit in their thought. Still, the fact that you are calling me likely means that you've been unable to come up with any possible training regimens of your own, correct?"</p><p>He shrugged again. "Well, I <em>was </em>gonna try teaching her the Bakusai Tenketsu itself-"</p><p>"<em>What</em>?" Cologne cut him off with an angry squawk. "You simple-minded oaf! Do you know how dangerous that training method is to someone that lacks the proper conditioning?"</p><p>Ryouga nodded nervously. "Certain... life threatening drawbacks to that specific method of training were made clear to me, yes."</p><p>The ancient Amazon rolled her eyes.</p><p>"But," he continued, "That's even more reason to call you, right? Not only could you help Terra bring her powers back under control faster than anyone, but there are so many questions about my Bakusai Tenketsu training that I want to ask you. Heck, if you need, I could send Cyborg over to the village to pick you up tomorrow if you'd like."</p><p>His eager optimism died quickly, as Cologne shook her head from side to side. "Unfortunately, I am embroiled deeply within tribal business at the moment. I am extremely interested in meeting the young Terra, and learning just how you went about restoring her, but it will take me several days, at the least, to free up enough of my schedule to allow such a visit."</p><p>A loud sigh escaped Ryouga's lips.</p><p>"However, young Hibiki, I may be able to put you on the proper course to begin the girl's training yourself until I arrive. Perhaps if you explain more of the situation to me?" she added, a wizened smile blooming on her wrinkled lips.</p><p>The bandanna clad warrior's smile returned just as quickly. "That'd be great!" He quickly scratched his chin in thought. "Now, let's see... I think the biggest problem is that Terra's powers are so much like Raven's. They're all in her head, really. She just thinks about something happening, and then it happens. It's pretty much the complete opposite of our training; transforming our bodies into living weapons."</p><p>Cologne smirked at that. "Heh, not necessarily so different as you might imagine, boy, but I think I can understand your problem here. Normally, in a case such as this, I would likely suggest a regimen of meditation and introspection to allow the practitioner to put their mind at peace... however, considering who the girl's trainer is, we'll just skip past that idea as unworkable."</p><p>Ryouga scowled darkly at the teasing, likely proving the old woman's point perfectly.</p><p>On the tiny screen, Cologne tapped her chin in thought. "Now, what to do... what to do – oh, <em>oh</em>, that might be just the thing!"</p><p>Forgetting his anger instantly, Ryouga sat up sharply. "What? What might just be the thing, Granny?"</p><p>Cologne's cackling laughter sounded like the rustling of fallen leaves. "Just something which Shampoo has brought to my attention recently. The girl has grown quite fond of it, and I must admit that I've found it quite charming as well. Heh, I actually hadn't considered the parallels until this very moment, to my embarrassment, but I think it might be perfect for your situation."</p><p>"<em>What</em>?" he asked, unable to hide his frustration at her continuing obfuscation.</p><p>The Joketsuzoku shook her head in fond amusement for a moment before finally replying. "The way I see it, you have two options: either you can change your way of thinking to match Terra's, or you can change her way of thinking to match yours."</p><p>The look on his face must have demonstrated the confusion in his mind with one hundred percent efficiency, as the old woman smiled slyly. "Allow me to recommend a... visual training aide which may help you to understand my meaning more clearly."</p><p>Ryouga leaned in closer, his excitement coming back yet again on this roller coaster ride of an international phone call.</p><p>"I'm listening."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>In a classic display of male brashness, Robert swept Julia into his arms, crushing her bountiful bosom to his chiselled, rock-hard chest with passionate abandon. Even as he leaned forward, closing the meager inches to Julia's warm, crimson lips, a delicious look of worried indecisiveness bloomed on her heart-shaped face.</p><p>"B-but, Robert, we <em>mustn't</em>. You're my <em>brother-in-law</em>!"</p><p>In reply, Robert donned a roguish smile, melting away her worries with sheer charisma alone, even as he continued to press his advance. "But, Julia, you know that laws are only made to be broken."</p><p>Then, he finally moved in, about to claim his just reward-</p><p>And then it cut to a commercial.</p><p>A plaintive whine to her side drew Terra's attention to the young woman sitting to her right on the large circular couch of the Titan's main room. Starfire was curled up in a ball, clutching a pillow to her chest and watching the massive television before them with eyes so large that the young blonde was worried they were going to pop out.</p><p>For her part, Terra did her best to internalize her groan of disgust.</p><p>
  <em>Soap operas were <strong>sooo </strong>boring!</em>
</p><p>Unfortunately, she appeared to be in the minority on that subject. Sitting to Terra's left was Kasumi, studiously reading a medical text of some sort. Or that was the impression she was trying to give, anyway, she had been doing just a terrible job of hiding the fact that she had been sneaking peeks at the screen the entire time. Even more amusing was the fact that Raven was doing the exact same thing, only from the far end of the couch, and with a Gothic novel of some sort.</p><p>It wasn't fair! She and Cyborg had just been about to watch a cool documentary on Monster Trucks. At least they <em>had</em>, until Starfire and her posse showed up and commandeered the T.V. on her. All it had taken was a single glance from Kasumi, and her titanium teammate had fled the scene faster Raven could snap a snarky remark.</p><p>That wasn't even the biggest let down, either. Getting more annoyed by the moment, she flopped back into the couch and crossed her arms over her chest petulantly. "Man, I can't believe that Beast Boy and Ryouga went <em>shopping </em>and they didn't even think to invite any of us girls," she groused loudly.</p><p>She received an immediate response in the form of a hurried shush from Starfire, who was apparently enraptured by a commercial for that 'World of Fungus' show she loved so much.</p><p>"Yes, because asking the dangerously unstable girl that's been forbidden from leaving the tower by our leader to go to the Gap is the first thing <em>I </em>think to do when I hit the town." Raven followed her snarky remark with a pointed look. "You do realize that you haven't even <em>begun</em> training to control your power yet, right?"</p><p>Neither Raven, nor Terra paid Starfire's second 'shushing' any mind. The former likely due to apathy, the latter out of annoyance. Unfortunately, Terra didn't have any good comebacks for her oppressor's stark dose of reality, so she just settled for glaring at the violet haired girl and grumbling under her breath.</p><p>Regrettably, said grumbling prompted a small tremor which set the tower to shaking, which, in turn, prompted a knowing smile to form on Raven's lips. The 'I told you so' was so obvious it was almost palpable.</p><p>To her other side, Kasumi suddenly lowered her book, resting it gently in her lap, and turned to look at the cloaked Titan. "Really, Raven," started the serene woman in a reproachful tone, "There is no need to treat Terra so coldly, is there? One would think that you, of all people, would understand the problems she is going through."</p><p>Immediately, Raven's eyes fell, as she was unable to hold eye contact with the righteous Tendo. Internally, Terra cheered at the moral reinforcements from her brunette savior. The blonde bulldozer sat up straight and stuck her tongue out in the dark Titan's direction.</p><p>"Yeah, Raven! You don't gotta be such a jerk about it!"</p><p>Unfortunately, Terra realized her mistake just a second too late, as Raven's face snapped back up, frightfully cold fires igniting in her eyes.</p><p>"<em>Excuse me</em>?" asked Raven, her voice even colder than her gaze.</p><p>Terra scooted back quickly, almost crawling into Kasumi's lap, pulling nervously at her collar every second. She had forgotten that she lacked the elder Tendo woman's uncanny ability to mollify anger, and that Raven was not one to be cowed... by anyone.</p><p>"Um, er... eh heh heh..." she stammered helplessly.</p><p>"There's no need to get upset, Raven. I'm certain that she didn't mean it like it sounded," supplied the boundlessly helpful Kasumi.</p><p>Her words didn't have the desired effect, though, as Raven's eyes only narrowed. "Really, then I suppose she meant to <em>insult</em> me in the kindest possible manner, is that it?"</p><p>"If you would just give her the chance, Terra would be glad to apologize-" Kasumi turned her gaze in Terra's direction. "Isn't that right, Terra?"</p><p>Not exactly sure what to say, Terra tried to string together the first thing that came to mind... however a sudden emerald glow coming from in front of the couch quite suddenly demanded her attention.</p><p>With glacial slowness, all three couch-bound females turned to regard the stormy figure standing before them. Starfire floated in front of the television, eyes burning with green flame and her long, crimson locks blowing in some unseen wind.</p><p>Terra, Kasumi, and Raven could only stare in silent shock as the towering Tamaranean glared down at them. It looked like they were about to receive the tongue lashing of a lifetime...</p><p>When, without warning, Starfire seemed to deflate before them, the righteous flames in her eyes burning away to reveal a profound sadness.</p><p>"<em>Please</em>," the alien girl's voice nearly cracked as she implored them, "It is true that we have only been united as teammates for a short time, but can we not all just get along as the 'friends'?"</p><p>Terra turned to share equally confused stares with both Raven and Kasumi, before turning back to Starfire. "Ummm, what are you talking about, Star?"</p><p>The Tamaranean pouted at her words. "I speak of the comments of sharpness and unfriendliness which are so readily exchanged between us when we are all gathered together."</p><p>The alien warrior then gestured to the elevator behind them. "The males who reside in our home, they have all formed joyous bonds of friendship and camaraderie. Why, was it not just last week that they created the league of the 'Stank Ball'?"</p><p>Raven stared at Starfire incredulously. "You <em>actually </em>want to <em>play </em>Stank Ball?"</p><p>Starfire's nose crinkled up cutely in disgust. "Not... as such, no. But that is not the meaning I am trying to purvey. I am simply envious of our friends' ability to share in each other's company and enjoy such activities of bonding with such ease."</p><p>"But, Starfire," rang Kasumi's lilting voice, "We were just watching television together. Isn't that a way to enjoy each other's company as well?"</p><p>The Tamaranean shook her head fiercely. "It is not when the three of you insist on commencing an argument during critical moments of the Robert's seduction of Julia!"</p><p>With that admission, Raven rolled her eyes dramatically. "Starfire, we weren't <em>fighting</em>, we were just... taking great personal stakes in our discussion."</p><p>"Besides," Terra added, in agreement with the dark Titan for once, "The guys are <em>always </em>fighting."</p><p>It was Kasumi's turn to nod. "Indeed. I'm certain the four of us are just as close as our young men are; it's just that the relationships between men and women are different, is all."</p><p>It appeared that the Tamaranean was about to reply-</p><p>But was rudely interrupted when the side door of the main room opened with a loud whoosh. A fraction of a second later, barely even time for the doors to open halfway, a green blur arrowed through the widening aperture and exploded into the room.</p><p>The green blur resolved itself into the form of an emerald cheetah; the great cat frantically scraped its claws against the hard floor, desperately trying to both stop its forward momentum and maintain its balance.</p><p>Finally –and some might say, miraculously- Beast Boy squealed to a wobbly stop roughly halfway across the room. The emerald cheetah matched the shocked looks of the four females present with a sheepish expression –no mean feat for a feline. However, before Terra could even begin to construct a suitable inquiry in her mind-</p><p>A second blur blasted into the room, this one of the yellow and black variety. Just like his emerald predecessor, Ryouga desperately tried to stop his own mad dash. Unfortunately, <em>unlike </em>his predecessor, the martial artist failed utterly, and ploughed directly into the transformed Beast Boy.</p><p>Both boy and cat tumbled helplessly in a tangled ball of fangs and claws and more fangs for a painful distance before the far wall was kind enough to stop their forward momentum.</p><p>Terra didn't even need to look to her companions to know that their eyes were just as wide with incredulous shock as her own. <em>What the heck were they doing? Trying to kill each other? </em>She was about to vocalize said questions, and so were Raven, Starfire, and Kasumi with all likely hood-</p><p>When suddenly Beast Boy leapt up, transforming back into his elfin form.</p><p>"<em>Ha</em>! Dude, you just got <em>owned</em>! I <em>totally </em>beat you!" The changeling then added injury to his insult, locking the groaning martial artist in a headlock and mercilessly grinding his knuckles into the larger boy's hair.</p><p>"<em>Damnit!</em> I <em>knew </em>I shouldn't have taken that left through the boiler room!" Ryouga swatted ineffectually at the shape shifter, but it was obvious that he was resigned to the punishment.</p><p>Finished with his industrial strength noogie, Beast Boy leapt to his feet again. The smile on the green teen's face spoke volumes, all of them mischievous. "You know what <em>that</em> means, <em>Ryo</em>."</p><p>Ryouga rose to his feet as well, grumbling a dark string of curses under his breath before nodding. "<em>Fine</em>, you win the bet. <em>Damn, </em>I thought I had you for <em>sure</em>," he added the last in a growled mumble.</p><p>Hooting loudly, Beast Boy scrambled up Ryouga's back and promptly sat himself down on the Lost Boy's shoulders. After locking his legs securely to make sure he didn't fall off, the changeling then laughed ecstatically. "<em>Hahahaha</em>! That'll teach you to bet against Jump City's Beautiful Green Beast!"</p><p>Which was <em>pretty much </em>about the time that the two boys finally remembered their slack jawed audience. Instantly, Beast Boy cheered and waved in their direction, while Ryouga's cheeks flared red and he looked to the side in a classic 'I'm humiliated but have to deal with it' fashion.</p><p>Raven was the first to regain the ability to speak. The violet haired Titan just shook her head slowly from side to side. "This scene just raises... <em>so many </em>questions. I'm not even sure where to begin... "</p><p>Apparently, Starfire <em>was</em> as she quickly asked, "Friend Beast Boy... for what reason are you currently riding upon Ryouga's shoulders?"</p><p>"Ummm, actually, that would be my fault," supplied Ryouga, looking even more embarrassed. "You see, we kind of made a bet that: if I won, I got to ride on T-Rex Beast Boy's back into the next fight."</p><p>Beast Boy pumped his arms in victory. "Ha! Little did Ryo know the <em>doom </em>he was calling down on himself! <em>No one </em>can beat the master of the animal kingdom in a foot race!"</p><p>Terra raised a finger. "Ummmm, do we even <em>want </em>to know how you guys even got on that topic?"</p><p>The martial artist and the changeling shared a brief, up-down, glance, before simultaneously shaking their heads. "Probably not," they answered in eerie synchronization.</p><p>"Oh, by the way," continued Ryouga, "Since we're changing topics anyway; Terra, me and Beast Boy got your new training equipment while we were up town, so we can get to work on that after you ladies are done... um, whatever it is you're going."</p><p>The blonde geokinetic was almost too scared to ask what he could possibly be talking about... so she was thankful when Beast Boy suddenly butted in once more. The changeling leaned forward so that his face was hanging almost right in front of Ryouga's.</p><p>"<em>Dude</em>, we got at least a half hour before this chick show is over! Let's head up to the roof. We can totally challenge Cyborg and Robin to a Horseback Battle Royale!"</p><p>Obviously, the prospect of competing in utterly ridiculous forms of combat was a positive thing, judging by the way that the bandanna wearing martial artist perked up at the mere mention of it.</p><p>"That sounds like it could be fun! Remember, though, you promised to remind me about that call I have to make later, right? I don't want Bumblebee getting on my case about it."</p><p>As soon as the Lost Boy received the Changeling's dismissive nod of agreement, Ryouga eagerly started towards the elevator, only for Beast Boy to bring them up short.</p><p>"Hey! I don't remember saying you could use the elevator!" The shapeshifter gestured dramatically to the wide bank of windows. "Let's take the <em>scenic route</em>!"</p><p>The emerald Titan's trusty steed grumbled darkly to himself, but two short leaps carried the pair across the room and out onto the ledge via the glass exit window set up to grant Starfire quick egress from the tower. From there, another leap carried the pair up and out of sight.</p><p>For a long, long moment, the four young women stared at each other. Eventually, it was Kasumi that finally broke the uncomfortable silence.</p><p>"You know, maybe we could go out to dinner tonight, just the four of us?"</p><p>"Perhaps we could also partake in the cutting and painting of our cuticles while in the city?" added an ecstatic Starfire.</p><p>Raven lifted the corner of her robe with a blasé expression. "I <em>could </em>use a new outfit if we're planning on going somewhere nice... "</p><p>Terra couldn't have contained her beaming smile if she had even cared to try.</p><p>"You know, it's been over a <em>year </em>since I've gotten my hair done."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Jinx hummed to herself as she idly bounced her heels off the face of the building that was her latest perch in a long, long string of rooftop perches. She was used to long stretches of boredom such as this one by now, but she still couldn't make up her mind whether her master's extended absences were a blessing or a curse. Certainly, her bruised and fractured body was glad for any reprieve in the eternal torment that was her training.</p><p>On the other hand, she <em>did </em>possess a terribly short attention span, and it was easy to forget just how traumatic her training was when faced with the prospect of sitting idle for more than twenty minutes.</p><p>Absently, she ran her fingers through her lengthy pink locks, lifting some of the colorful follicles up for her inspection. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd had her hair cut. She had always been so meticulous with her hair, what with the unique style she usually kept it in, but she honestly hadn't had time to think about such mundane things in the past few months. Sure, her hair had grown well past her shoulders now, but the horrifying number of split ends prevented her from calling the pink mass <em>luxurious </em>by any stretch of the definition.</p><p>Maybe she was due for a trim? After all, they had only been in Gotham for a few hours. Even for them, that wasn't <em>quite </em>enough time to have numerous warrants out for their arrest yet. Of course, it was also the middle of the night, so she'd have to wait till morning. Considering the gleam that Happi had had in his eye before he had vanished more than an hour ago, she highly doubted that their dubious anonymity would last even that long.</p><p>With that thought in mind, she wasn't surprised in the slightest when she heard the barely audible sound of her master alighting on the ledge at her side. However, when she turned to question the diminutive warrior about his whereabouts, she nearly fell from the ledge in shock.</p><p>"Y-your sack! I-i-i-it's <em>empty</em>!"</p><p>Happosai chuckled in amusement, pulling his out his pipe as he did. He quickly pulled a match from the near-empty burlap sack at his side before mysteriously making the bag vanish entirely from sight. Jinx still wasn't sure how he did that, but after seeing some of the things Mousse could do, it hardly even fazed her anymore.</p><p>Striking the match, her master carefully lit his pipe, taking a long draw before taking a seat at her side. "Indeed, Disciple. It wasn't my usual treasure that I was hunting for this night, but rather something of... oh, roughly a third the value."</p><p>Jinx fired him a quizzical look. "What's that? Socks?"</p><p>Happi fired back an equally incredulous look. "What? <em>No</em>. I'm talking about <em>information</em>. Wherever would you get a bizarre notion <em>like</em> that from?"</p><p>The young sorceress rolled her eyes. "I couldn't <em>possibly </em>imagine..."</p><p>"Hmph!" grumped her master. "Whatever. We've no time for your eccentricities at the moment, Jinx. You see, the first portion of your test is at hand."</p><p>"Well, it's about time," she muttered darkly, "It feels like I've been practically <em>living </em>on roof tops for the last couple months. I want to get this over with so I can crash in a <em>real </em>bed for a change."</p><p>Instinctually knowing what was coming, she held up a hand to stop her master's response. "And, <em>no</em>, Master, I don't mean that even <em>remotely </em>like you're hoping."</p><p>Happosai deflated at bit at that, a sad puppy look in his eyes, but in true Happi fashion, he rebounded almost instantly. "Heh, all in good time, my Disciple. Now on your feet and be quick about it!"</p><p>She prepared to launch into her typical 'put-upon annoyance' spiel, but didn't get the chance as, without a second thought, Happosai suddenly launched himself to the west and onto the roof of the adjacent building. It was all she could do to sputter in shock before she clawed her way to her feet and took off in dogged pursuit of the ancient martial artist.</p><p>He led her on quite the merry chase, buildings zipping by in a blur as she effortlessly pranced from one roof to the next with all the grace of gazelle. It was something of an old game between them, this oddly appropriate game of feral cat and diminutive mouse, but even after all these months she couldn't seem to get any closer to her prey than when she'd first begun.</p><p>Thankfully, this chase only lasted for a mere twenty minutes, as opposed to some of their all-night marathons. Jinx wasn't even breathing hard by the time she caught up to her Master. She landed beside him, balancing precariously on the ledge of yet another building, this one overlooking the street several stories below.</p><p>She was about to ask him what was going on, when he gestured grandly to the rather large building that stood proudly on the far side of the street –</p><p>The notorious Iceberg Lounge.</p><p>Jinx offered her erstwhile mentor an odd look. "What, <em>him</em>? But isn't he, like, retired or something? How are we supposed to make a big splash doing that?"</p><p>Again, Happosai chuckled in amusement, taking another long draw from his pipe. "Jinx, Jinx, Jinx... You aren't forgetting the basic lessons you learned back in the Academy, are you? You need to gather information before you can plan your strike, my dear, and the people I've... <em>spoken </em>to tonight have said that this is the place to go for that."</p><p>She perked up quickly at that. "Hey, I get it! So, I just go ruffle some feathers and see who's up to something, right?"</p><p>Her master nodded happily. "Roughing up the barkeep for information is a time-honored tradition in any culture. And if you're lucky, you'll even manage to land yourself a big fish while you're at it."</p><p>Hmm, yea – <em>Wait a sec</em>! Her head tilted in confusion as she addressed her master. "<em>You'll</em>? <em>You're</em>? You aren't coming in with me?"</p><p>He shook his head quickly, an amused look on his wrinkled features. "That wouldn't be much of a test, now would it? But make sure to be careful, Disciple. Just because a warrior is retired doesn't mean they've forgotten their skills."</p><p>Jinx scoffed loudly at his concerns. She then casually lifted her hand before her and five jets of intense pink flame ignited from the tips of her fingers, 'unsheathing her claws'. "Pfft! Whatever, he'll be <em>lucky </em>if he's smart enough to tell me what I want to know."</p><p>The unimpressed look on her master's face drew her up short.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>He shook his head slowly from side to side. "<em>That </em>was your witty one-liner? I thought you were going to go with a cat and bird analogy, what with your claws and all."</p><p>Jinx looked down to the tiny flames dancing at the tips of her fingers. "Well... I was going to, but then I thought about Shampoo and it really lost its appeal. Besides, the whole luck gig is really my thing, don't you think?"</p><p>Happosai shrugged in a non-committal manner. "I suppose, but you're going to have to work a lot harder if you don't want your lines to stink up the whole city."</p><p>Her lips pursed up into a tiny pout at that. "Was it really that bad?"</p><p>A quick nod was her reply. "Yes. Now, go get'em, Disciple. Make me proud!"</p><p>"Pfft. Like <em>that </em>would take much." She rolled her eyes as she crouched down for her impending leap.</p><p>"This is gonna be <em>cake</em>."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Mr. Cobblepot sighed loudly, one might say theatrically, as he slowly spun around in his chair. Said sigh was not due to any exhaustion on his part, but more for the benefit of the fledgling he was conversing with on the phone. To anyone that knew him better, or anyone that knew him by his more... avian themed moniker, that sigh would have been a keen warning that his patience was being tested and that it was a good time to leave.</p><p>Children these days, though, just seemed utterly intolerant to the idea of subtlety.</p><p>"Yes, yes, I readily admit that I found our conversation to be most entertaining, but that is hardly relevant to the present. How many times must I inform you that the gathering and redistribution of information is <em>not </em>a charitable industry?"</p><p>The entrepreneur waved his hand errantly as he listened to the boy's latest plebeian petitions. While his heart was in the right place, most ironically so in this particular case, his wallet was miles off the mark.</p><p>A sudden thought crossed Oswald's mind. Quickly, he stopped his spinning and sat up, a smile slowly growing beneath his sharp nose.</p><p>"Actually, boy, now that I think about it, there <em>is </em>a service which you could provide which might be suitable as payment for the information you seek."</p><p>He could hear the nervousness in the young man's voice as he inquired what that service could be. Oswald only smiled wider.</p><p>"I believe you already know where my... interests lie. It shouldn't be too hard for you to imagine what I want."</p><p>He savored the fellow's hesitant inquiry.</p><p>"Yes, that is <em>exactly </em>what I want from you."</p><p>He scowled darkly at the young man's reply.</p><p>"What? Of <em>course </em>I know I would never be able to lift the thing, but such a magnificent, hand crafted oriental umbrella would be an excellent addition to my collection."</p><p>The fledgling sighed forlornly before eventually agreeing to his terms.</p><p>"Oh, don't you worry about that, my boy. Your word that you'll begin constructing the umbrella is enough of a down payment for me. I'll begin my investigation immediately. However, I expect my payment to be completed before I divulge the results of said investigation."</p><p>He smiled once again, as the young man agreed with a marked lack of enthusiasm. He did so enjoy swin- ahem, working with young people. They haggled so poorly, and generally accepted whatever terms he set on the assumption that he was experienced enough to always know what was correct.</p><p>With that transaction completed to his satisfaction, he dropped the phone back into its cradle and rose to his feet. It was past time to make his usual round of the club; it was important that people remembered the face and the reputation that kept the establishment running.</p><p>He would have to make it quick, though, as he still had other work to do, as well. Foremost were the requests from that Benton woman. Whoever she was, she was a refreshing change of pace from his usual patrons; nearly as adept at the art of haggling and dealing as himself.</p><p>Unfortunately, he only made it around his desk before he realized, too late, that something was amiss. The door to his office, he noticed, was not <em>quite </em>closed, jutting out from the door frame just a quarter of an inch.</p><p>This was all he had time to realize, as a pair of dainty feet swung down at him from the roof. The darling little pumps adorning said feet slammed into his chest with enough force to lift him into the air to crash back onto his desk. Then, with the speed and grace of a feral predator, his assailant dropped down from her... inexplicable grasp on the ceiling, to land directly on him, straddling his chest and leaning down until her wide, Cheshire smile was only a scant few inches from his face.</p><p>The two held the tableau for a long moment, as Oswald attempted to take a measure of his situation. Despite all his best precautions he was no stranger to unannounced visits like this one. However, normally he had a foreknowledge of his assailant's disposition.</p><p>Then, the young woman suddenly sat up, a positively amusing tinge of pink on her cheeks as she realized their mutual positions. She let out a weak laugh before speaking. "Um, heh, ah... sorry 'bout this. I've kinda been training with an ancient and perverted master of the martial arts for the past few months. I think my personal boundaries are a bit outta whack."</p><p>And, instantly, Oswald was put at ease. Whoever this youth was, she was just like the young man he had been speaking to. Quite probably powerful but lacking the truly malicious streak to make them genuinely dangerous. That in mind, he decided to have a little fun with the slit-eyed beauty.</p><p>"Apparently," he agreed with a crooked smile. "However, if you are attempting to bait me into jail, as it were, then you should be warned that the feline motif is much more suited to snaring <em>bats</em> than birds."</p><p>The exotic girl's head tilted to the side, her pink, feline eyes twinkling with confusion. "Huh?" she asked in all eloquence.</p><p>He shook his head in amusement. "A newcomer to our fair city, I see. That one usually <em>slays </em>them at poker night."</p><p>His very companionable companion displayed her adorable confusion once again, before shaking her own head. "Wait a second! I do <em>not </em>have a <em>cat </em>motif! Now quit trying to distract me. I came her looking for information, and you're gonna give it to me."</p><p>He rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, and no doubt you used whatever tremendous power you possess to battle your way past all of my assorted guards and thugs and will do even worse to me if I don't comply. Does that about sum the situation up?"</p><p>The young woman tapped her chin in thought. "... Actually, the bouncer just took one look at me and let me in. Come to think of it, he didn't even ask me for I.D. or anything."</p><p>Oswald sighed. He'd forgotten that Blaine was on door duty tonight. That one had the habit of letting anything in a sufficiently short skirt through the door. Not that he begrudged Blaine that, since more than a few of his regular customers enjoyed that policy. Still, one would imagine that bright pink hair, deathly pale skin and curious, cat-like eyes would have set off an alarm or two...</p><p>Alarms started ringing in Oswald's head. '<em>Noooooo</em>, surely fate could not be so fickle of a force.' To think that he had been taking that Hibiki's calls for nearly a week in the hopes of finding any information of the possible location of a pink haired, pale skinned, cat eyed girl roughly the boy's age...</p><p>Only to have her literally fall into his lap just as he'd finally bartered a suitable payment for her location. If life was unfair, then surely its full brunt was falling upon some other unfortunate soul that night.</p><p>Still, this was hardly a dignified position from which to do business. "My dear, as you obviously are aware, by merit of your very presence, I am indeed a font of valuable information. However, if you are truly keen on doing business, then I would kindly ask for you to remove yourself from my person."</p><p>The young woman eyed him warily for a moment, but he made no movement at all, let alone hasty ones. Hesitantly, she began to rise. "Alright... but only because this is as embarrassing for me as it is for you. No funny business now, alright?"</p><p>Once the girl was finally off him, he gingerly sat up, smoothing the wrinkles out of his suit carefully. He then gestured for her to take a seat even as he moved to retake his own favored chair. "Trust me, my dear, my business is always of the utmost seriousness," he lied smoothly. This situation was quickly becoming very amusing.</p><p>"Now," he continued, "You are, as you stated, here for some information. I can also divine, from your, let us say, less than subtle entrance, that you have no currency with which to pay for said information, and were intending to intimidate it out of me, correct?"</p><p>She shrugged helplessly, her pink locks bouncing around her shoulders as she did. "Maybe just a <em>little</em>... "</p><p>Despite his attempt at seriousness, Oswald couldn't refrain from chuckling. This girl was positively charming. He was glad of that since he would have hated to be forced to kill her if she had pressed her intentions too hard. "Well, before you resort to that, perhaps we can come to an alternative agreement. You see, I am far more receptive to information than bludgeoning. Maybe if you can answer a simple question for <em>me</em>, then I will be able to help you."</p><p>She looked at him oddly for a moment. "That sounds strangely reasonable... what exactly do you want to know?"</p><p>"Just a yes or no question, really." He smiled charmingly as he gestured towards her with his hand. "Tell me, my dear, would your name happen to be Jinx?"</p><p>The widening of those exotic, pink eyes confirmed everything he needed to know. Immediately, the young woman began sputtering in shock. "H-how the heck did you know <em>that</em>?"</p><p>He considered the merits of playing the mysterious puppet master, compared to simply telling her the truth... the latter held much better prospects for entertainment, though. "Heh, Jinx, what a strangely appropriate name, for it is most certainly a strange quirk of fate that brings you into my lair. As it happens, there is a young man extremely interested in learning about your whereabouts. A... Mr. Hibiki, I believe?"</p><p>"R-Ryouga?" she whispered in shock. Suddenly she shook her head. "Wait just a second! Are you telling me that <em>Ryouga</em> resorted to dealing with a notorious super villain <em>just </em>to find information on my whereabouts?"</p><p>He nodded amiably. "Well, <em>super </em>villain is a bit pretentious, I think, but..."</p><p>Jinx's body nearly slid out of her chair and it took her no small effort to catch herself and pull herself up. She then quickly began to fan her face with her hand. "Whoo! I'm sorry about that. I think I nearly <em>swooned </em>there."</p><p>Oswald chuckled in amusement once again. "How Victorian of you. And I can take it, from that response, that you are not exactly disagreeable with the idea of Mr. Hibiki learning of your whereabouts?"</p><p>His exotic companion nearly leapt from her seat in excitement. "Of <em>course </em>I'm not!" Only for her excitement to die down a moment later, slowly lowering her back to her seat. "Well... not really, I mean, I <em>wanna</em> see him, it's just that there's something I have to do first, y'know?"</p><p>Obviously, Oswald did not, but he had his suspicious. "Tell me, does your impromptu visit to my fine establishment hold any correlation to said task you must perform?"</p><p>She nodded forlornly, a sad pout adorning her face now. The pink haired girl quickly shook her head, though, replacing her pout with a weak smile. "It does. My master set me a test and I need you to help me complete it."</p><p>Well, wasn't that interesting? "And what kind of test might that be, that this master of yours has set for you?"</p><p>Her smile grew, curving wickedly into a Cheshire grin. "I need to pick a fight. A <em>big </em>fight."</p><p>Oswald leaned back into his chair, steepling his fingers. "A <em>big </em>fight, is it? Am I to assume that you intend to challenge the bat to battle, then? That does seem to be what most newcomers do in this town."</p><p>Surprisingly, the girl shook her head. "Going the opposite way, actually. I want to take on one of Gotham's worst. This city has the most notorious gallery of rogues on the <em>planet</em>. Taking down one of them would prove, beyond a doubt, that I'm not someone to trifle with anymore."</p><p>Oswald smirked. "While at the same time endearing yourself to your absentee <em>beau</em>, who has had the misfortune of falling in with a troupe of heroes. Hmmmm, <em>very </em>clever, girl, though I'm not overly fond of the term 'killing two birds with one stone', it does seem apropos."</p><p>Jinx smiled slyly herself. "So, can you help me out, then? I was thinking I should try taking out the Joker. That would be <em>awesome</em>! I'd be a legend after that!"</p><p>Instantly, Oswald's smile dropped from his face. "Absolutely not. No matter how powerful you believe yourself to be, you are <em>not </em>prepared for the kind of trouble that he embodies. Look, my dear, thanks to your timely appearance I have guaranteed the addition of a very unique item to my collection with virtually no effort on my part, so I will help you. However, I will <em>not </em>set you on a path that crosses with <em>that </em>one."</p><p>The girl's pink eyes widened in curiosity. "What's the big deal? He's just some clown, isn't he? I mean, I'm a bad ass meta-human that's been trained in the ancient arts of kung fu. What the heck is a guy in face paint gonna against someone like me?"</p><p>Oswald shook his head sadly. "Oh, I've no doubt that you <em>may </em>be able to defeat him but that is what I'm afraid of. Tell me, child, have you ever killed a man?"</p><p>Jinx recoiled at his words visibly. "Ah – ummm...  not that I <em>know </em>of. I mean, things can get kinda rough sometimes, but I don't <em>think </em>I have..."</p><p>He could tell that the possibility disturbed the young woman, which was a bad sign for a so-called super villain. Especially for a villain that called Gotham their home. Certainly, the girl was likely selfish and petty, possibly even cruel, and vindictive, but he could also sense her naiveté, an almost childlike innocence when compared to the rest of the monsters that populated the streets of Gotham.</p><p>"So, when you stood above the Joker, his broken and defeated form before you, would you finish the job? Finish it permanently?"</p><p>"Wha- why the heck would I do <em>that</em>? I'm just here to prove myself, to make a name for myself, not kill everyone I run across."</p><p>A weak sigh was his reply. "Then that weakness would be your downfall. As I said, I've no doubt that you could defeat him... once. But what would you do when he came after <em>you</em>? Do you think the Joker became one of the most feared criminals in the world for his ability to <em>fight? </em>When he came after you-and don't you doubt that he would -his wrath would take on forms that you couldn't even conceive of. And don't deceive yourself into thinking that his vengeance would be aimed at you and you alone. Do you think your dear Mr. Hibiki would think twice about opening an oddly wrapped package which might, incidentally, contain a lungful of deadly poison?"</p><p>He could see Jinx visibly paling, an impressive sight for the already pale girl, and shrinking further into her seat. He nodded seriously. "There are <em>other </em>targets that may be more suitable for you. Targets that, though no less vindictive, would at least lack the malicious wit of the Joker."</p><p>She nodded, nearly frantically in response. "M-maybe that might be a good idea... I mean... there's no need to go right for the Number One off the bat, is there?"</p><p>Oswald frowned slightly, as the Penguin, he was slightly offended by the idea that the Joker would be considered the most notorious criminal in Gotham, but at the same time, he could hardly deny the claim either. Instead, he quickly tore a sheet of paper from the ledger on his desk and scrawled down a name, a date, and a location before handing it to the girl.</p><p>"Rumors have been flitting through my roost for several days now, about an upcoming heist. If you happen to stroll through that neighborhood on that specific day, then maybe you'll get your wish. However, I would advise caution. Though not as wickedly intelligent as the Joker, this one is a much more formidable opponent physically."</p><p>Jinx's eyes widened with interest as she read what he had given her. The intrigue was palpable on her face, as she considered the possibilities of what he proposed. A moment later, she leapt to her feet and began to move towards the large window that overlooked the street below.</p><p>Halfway there, she stopped, turning back to face him. "Thanks for the help, Mr. Penguin. I was wondering, though, before I leave..."</p><p>"Could you do me a small favor?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Happosai paced anxiously across the rooftop. His eyes never left the front of the building that his disciple had entered a seeming eternity ago. There had been no sign of a battle erupting... yet. In fact, the girl hadn't even had to fight her way in, the bouncer had let her in without so much as asking to see the same identification that he was asking every other patron for.</p><p>There weren't any signs of violence from inside the club, which was a good sign, but she had been in there for far too long. Had he made a mistake sending her in by herself?</p><p>Happi shook his head, dismissing the uncharacteristic worry. He had trained the girl well. At the very least, she would be good enough to get herself out of any situation she got herself into, just like Happosai himself. After all, she got past Shampoo <em>and </em>Mousse, didn't she?</p><p>On the other hand, though, maybe it wouldn't hurt <em>too </em>much if he went in...  just to check up on her. Who knew, maybe there would be some pretty ladies in there to keep him company while Jinx finished up her busi-</p><p>Suddenly one of the massive second story windows of the nightclub swung open, clattering loudly but not quite hard enough to shatter all over the street. An instant later, the familiar form of his trusty Disciple came flying through the portal –</p><p>A raging gout of flame hot on her heels!</p><p>The girl succumbed to gravity just before the expanding inferno could consume her, landing gracefully on the hood of a ridiculously expensive car parked right before club. Instantly, she leapt forward, right into the heavy traffic of the road; first Jinx performed a picture-perfect handspring from the roof of a speeding sedan, cartwheeled completely over a bright yellow cab, clearing an entire lane of traffic as she did, before landing nimbly on the roof of a passing panel van.</p><p>From there, the young sorceress then launched herself up to grab the outstretch arm of a hanging light post. Jinx quickly swung her legs forward and in a move that would make most Olympic gymnasts proud, flipped herself up onto the pole, crouching with perfect balance before she leapt again, this time landing as lightly as the snow on the ledge at his side.</p><p>Jinx smiled wildly at him, her chest heaving from the exertion of her gymnastic routine.</p><p>Happosai glanced at her askance for a moment. He then shook his head, clucking his tongue.</p><p>"Utterly embarrassing, Disciple. I shudder to think that this is as far as you've progressed after months of training. And what kind of escape was that? I've seen more acrobatic movements from a trained elephant!"</p><p>The crestfallen look on the young woman's face was perfectly priceless. He almost wished he had a camera.</p><p>"At least tell me that you accomplished your objective, after all of those foolish shenanigans that you just went through."</p><p>Jinx scowled at him petulantly, even stamping her foot for good measure, before suddenly pulling a complete mood switch on him. Instantly, she dropped her dainty fists on her hips and smiled at him triumphantly.</p><p>"Of <em>course </em>I did, Happi. What kind of girl do you think I am here?" She dug out a small sheet of paper from her pocket and looked it over, her smile widening even more.</p><p>"Looks like the heist isn't going to take place for nearly a week, and it's gonna be down in the dock area, but that should give us some time to finally rest and relax while we wait! This is gonna be great!"</p><p>Happosai smiled wickedly as well, though not for the same reason. <em>'Yes, a nice relaxing week of rigorous training will do you good, Disciple,'</em> he thought to himself evilly. "So," he vocalized a moment later, "Are you satisfied with the results of your search, then?"</p><p>Jinx nodded eagerly, hugging the paper to her bosom.</p><p>"Oh yeah! The target that I found is just <em>killer</em>!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Terra sat on the edge of Ryouga's bed, a sense of uncertainty hanging over her for the second time in as many days. Normally, being in a boy's bedroom wouldn't have fazed her in the slightest, not even a cute guy like Ryouga. However, this was by no means a normal situation.</p><p>Supposedly, they were beginning her training this morning, so she couldn't figure out why they were in Ryouga's room to begin with. For that matter, she was even more confused by the fact that Beast Boy was there as well. The green teen had just finished wheeling in a T.V. and was vainly trying to hook said TV up to a DVD player.</p><p>Ryouga, on the other hand, had his head poking out the door, as if on the lookout for any eavesdroppers. In fact, the entire scenario held a very conspiratorial feel about it, what with the way the two guys were acting.</p><p>And what kind of training involved watching TV, anyway?</p><p>Finally, Beast Boy cheered in victory, and the television screen blinked to the loading screen for the DVD player. As soon as he did, Ryouga eagerly slid the door closed and locked it for good measure. A second later, Ryouga unlocked the door, opened it, only to hang up a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the outside, then closed it and locked it once more.</p><p>After double checking the lock, just to be sure, Ryouga then joined Beast Boy in front of the DVD player, and they pulled a disc out of Ryouga's desk and slipped it into the player. With that done, Beast Boy then skipped over to drop down beside Terra on the bed, while Ryouga moved to sit in a chair off to the side.</p><p>Beast Boy rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Ah, man! This is gonna be the most <em>awesome</em> training session, <em>ever</em>!"</p><p>Terra looked at the young man oddly for a moment, before shifting her attention to her 'instructor'. "Ummm, Ryouga? I don't want to call your methods into question... again... but, shouldn't we be <em>outside </em>if we want to train?"</p><p>Ryouga shook his head in a wannabe-sagely manner. "Tut, tut, my student. One must first learn the theory before one attempts the practical. As such, I have acquired this teaching aid to help you understand the training that we're going to be doing."</p><p>With that, her instructor started fiddling with the remote, skipping through the various previews and such on the DVD, until he finally the menu. She was about to question his sanity again, as the program which the menu was showing did <em>not </em>appear to be any kind of training video at all. In fact...  was that a <em>cartoon</em>?</p><p>Beast Boy hooted in joy, as Ryouga quickly navigated through the menu and selected a given episode on the disc. Then, for some odd reason, he began fast forwarding <em>through </em>said episode, everything skipping by too quickly for her to tell what was going on.</p><p>Finally, after a few minutes, the bandanna wearing boy hit the play button, resuming normal speed. The scene on the screen seemed to be depicting some kind of underground arena, or something like that...</p><p>Ryouga turned to Terra then, smiling widely himself. "Okay, Terra, I want you to pay close attention. This is the part of the show where they introduce the girl who is going to be your very closest friend for the foreseeable future..."</p><p>His smile nearly doubled at that moment.</p><p>"Her name is Toph."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The moon hung amid wispy clouds in the night sky, standing silent vigil over the ancient ruins of the castle. The ominous structure was the only landmark rising from the small island which rested at the center of the vast lake. Such was the state of the once glorious structure that it was doubtful that the eyes of man had beheld it for many centuries. Inside the once grand edifice, flames licked across the floor and climbed the crumbling walls.</p><p>It was here that I made my stand against the foul beast. Even as my hands burned with eldritch energies, whitish flames that would sear the very souls of lesser men, there was bitter little comfort to be taken from those otherworldly powers. Glowing red eyes gazed down upon me from on high, the bass rumbling of a growl rattling the deepest foundations of the once-castle, as if the entire stone structure were quaking in fear of the creature's wrath.</p><p>The beast's slavering jaws opened wide, unleashing an unholy roar as it prepared to blast me to cinders with its flame. Despite all reason, I did not die as the blazing river of flames poured forth from the dragon's hellish maw. Rather, the unending torrent of living fire was forced to part before me, defeated by the eldritch shield summoned by my sorcerer's art. Not only did I withstand the death of thousands before me, I pushed slowly forward, plowing the inferno aside.</p><p>Another gout of flame blasted out, the unearthly wrath of the great beast smashing through my mystical defenses this time. Responding quickly, even as the hateful flames pushed me back, I harnessed the powers at my command and formed a sphere of brilliant silver light. With a mighty heave, I hurled the powerful spell at my bane. It detonated against the dragon's chest, sending sparks to flying, as if the very air around us was filled with stars.</p><p>The sweet taste of victory turned to ash in my mouth as the beast shrugged off my spell as if it were the cantrip of a yearling. It unleashed another breath of flaming death and I was forced to retreat.</p><p>The great dragon was leaving me precious little choice. My arms rose high into the air as I prepared the most powerful of enchantments. This time it was my roar that filled the heavens.</p><p>"<em>Necronom Hezberek Mortix</em>!" Even as the words spilt from my lips, glowing fissures opened in the stones at my feet and raced forward, towards the dragon; within seconds the very earth was rent asunder and collapsed into the void, dropping the beast out of sight amid a great cloud of dust.</p><p>'<strong><em>And so it came to pass that I, Malchior of Nol, did lay siege to the dread dragon Rorek</em></strong>.' So sure of my victory was I, that I began my own departure from that hellish place. However, I did not get far. Before even taking my tenth step, a pillar of flame boiled up from the smoking depths. Mighty Rorek surged up from the abyss, a single monstrous leap carrying it up to the ledge to my rear. Moving with speed which belied its massive size, the beast's tail snaked forward as quick as death, encircling my body, and lifting me into the air as a child might heft a doll. <strong>'<em>But it did seem the power of Rorek was greater than my magics could defeat. And as the fell beast struck</em></strong>-'</p><p>"C'mon, Raven, are you even listening to me?"</p><p>In an instant, the vivid and enchanting tapestry of Raven's imagination was burnt to a cinder as Beast Boy's nerve-wracking voice cut through her thoughts like a knife through butter. With a weary sigh, she began to massage her temples as she lifted her gaze to regard the changeling.</p><p>Resigned to the fact that she wouldn't find any peace while Beast Boy was pacing around her room, gesturing wildly with each step, she closed the heavy tome she had been <em>attempting </em>to read.</p><p>"Do you possess even a single ounce of self preservation instinct? It has been <em>days </em>since I've been able to find a book that can hold my interest and you choose <em>now </em>of all times to have a heart to heart?" She tried to keep a calm tone, but a low growl in her voice betrayed her emotions.</p><p>In classic Beast Boy fashion, her unwanted companion proved his lack of common sense by sticking his tongue out at her and laughing. "Heh, ya gotta have a heart for us to have a heart to heart-" Raven did her best to hide the pain from the knife which had just been so unwittingly thrust into her non-existent heart –"Seriously, Rae, this is Terra and Ryo we're talking about."</p><p>One of Raven's eyebrows arched up as she regarded the emerald changeling. "And what exactly is so interesting about our pair of resident natural disasters that it is compelling you to risk your life by interrupting my reading time?"</p><p>Annoyingly, Beast Boy waved off her threat with a carefree gesture. "Well, I was just thinking: isn't it great that Ryouga volunteered to help train her?"</p><p>For the first time since he'd intruded into her inner sanctum, Raven smiled faintly. The often clueless martial artist had hardly 'volunteered'. In fact, he'd railed against his fate until Cyborg had suggested that <em>she </em>might appreciate it. Certainly, it was a bit conceited, but Raven enjoyed the thought that, in some small way, Ryouga was doing this for her.</p><p>"Actually," Raven offered with a sly smile, "I think it's much more fortuitous that Ryouga is so... well suited to training Terra."</p><p>The vision of a comically flattened martial artist popped into her mind and, to her mortification, she nearly burst out into a giggle fit. Luckily, Beast Boy totally missed the connotations of her comment as he nodded agreeably.</p><p>"Yeah! It's totally awesome that Terra and Ryo are getting along so well. It sure is cool how they hit it off so well right off the bat isn't it?"</p><p>The sense of amusement that Raven had been fostering died quickly at that comment. Her gut reaction was to fire back with a cutting '<em>Is it</em>?', but she didn't want to confound the poor boy.</p><p>Instead, she decided to reply in a more neutral manner. "I don't think anyone would begrudge Terra a friend at a time like this."</p><p>The changeling shot her a queer glance for a moment before shrugging. "Meh, whatever. I think it's awesome that those two are getting along so well. In fact, I'm gonna head down right now and see how Terra's training is going!"</p><p>Matching word to deed, the young shape shifter turned on the spot and dashed out the door. Raven watched her teammate leave and felt an uncharacteristic twinge of guilt.</p><p>"Let's hope you still feel that way after even a single week," she whispered so quietly that she barely heard it herself.</p><p>Sighing again, she picked up the book from her lap. For a moment she was tempted to open its pages once more... Only to let out a huff of air and rise to her feet. Gliding across the room, she found the old chest where she'd found the book and dropped it back in unceremoniously.</p><p>She certainly wasn't in the mood to read now. The lavender haired Titan tapped an elegant finger to her chin as she considered her options to dispel her boredom. Perhaps Starfire would be interested in a trip to that bookstore that Raven enjoyed so much?</p><p>Raven shook her head in amusement.</p><p>This was Starfire, of course she would be interested.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>-Thursday 5:37 PM</p><p>
  <strong>CYBLOG</strong>
</p><p>Ahh, Yeah! Welcome to the Silicon Jungle!</p><p>
  <span class="u">A Word To My Sponsors!</span>
</p><p>Yo, my Peeps and Peepettes, welcome to another pulse pounding edition of Cyblog! Straight from my fingers to your brains.</p><p>As you all know, the big Ring a Ding Ding around the tower has been the transcendent return of our one and only Terra!</p><p>STOP!</p><p>Stop right there, yeah, you, the ones getting ready to unload a heaping helping of HateFlame on my innocent little forum. Look, I know that our little lady might have done wrong in the past, but seriously, you guys nearly crashed my entire system with the tidal wave of angry comments you sent my way when I announced her return.</p><p><em>My</em> system! The one I built with my own two hands nearly crashed from the amount of hatemail I got regarding Terra.</p><p>I don't want to sound like a jerk here, but I nearly decided to give up on the Cyblog completely. I mean, if you guys hate one of my team mates so much that you can't even exercise common decency, or <em>grammar</em> for that matter -</p><p>Okay, calm down, Cyborg.</p><p>...Sorry for snapping at you guys like that. Honestly, I know where you guys are coming from. Hell, you guys didn't even get a fraction of the hurt laid on you that we did, but I can understand why you're all so scared and angry. Terra did, nearly single handedly, terrorize the entire city and chase hundreds of thousands of people out of their homes... Man, can I understand why you guys are so freaked out about Terra coming back...</p><p>I just want you guys to remember that Terra also saved the city from being destroyed by Slade, so you all kinda owe her one in that respect. Look, Little T is important to us and if we're willing to trust her after the way she betrayed us, then I think you guys need to at least give her the benefit of the doubt... Actually, that probably doesn't sound that inspiring now, does it... But please, just bear with me for a bit?</p><p>Still, I'm only glad that Terra, BB and Star don't read my blog. I can already imagine the tears they'd be crying if they read even some of the things that have been posted over the past few days.</p><p>Again, sorry for the guilt trip there. However, while I'm here anyway, I did want to set the record straight on a few of the concerns that were raised in the more coherent comments I got.</p><p>1) No, Terra will not be put on trial for her crimes... At least not yet. Robin has been in talks with the Mayor non-stop since Terra was revived and so far, it's looking good that she'll be remanded into our custody. Since this is the case, I would consider it a personal favor if you would <em>not</em> go ahead with that petition to get her thrown in prison.</p><p>Seriously, the girl has had a hard enough time without that kinda junk going on!</p><p>2) No, Terra is not an evil psychotic double agent whose only goal in life is to destroy the Titans. Terra is just a young, confused girl that has made mistakes. Before you start throwing those stones, ya might wanna check yourselves first. I defy anyone out there to tell me straight-up that you wouldn't have made the same mistakes if you'd had to live her life.</p><p>3) Yes, the rumors about her powers being... unpredictable are true. HOWEVER! However, Terra is receiving the best training we can possibly provide. I can't give out any specifics, but trust me when I saalkshdalkwjhe-</p><p>"Oh, what the heck, BB!" Cyborg cursed when the changeling's wild thrashings caused the smaller hero to slam into his arm and totally mess up what he was typing. He glared heatedly at his little buddy. "Man, what the heck are ya doin', playing a game, or having a seizure?"</p><p>His diminutive best friend didn't even attempt to apologize, just stuck out his tongue as he continued to play. "Dude, that kinda talk is socially unacceptable. 'Sides, you've been typing away there for like an hour. When the heck are you gonna put your arm away and play?"</p><p>Cyborg glowered at the green teen. "Hey, this is important, BB. I'm working on some serious damage control here. We might be happy that Terra's back, but the rest of the city doesn't exactly share our opinion, y'know?"</p><p>Beast Boy looked at him oddly. "What? Why the heck would anyone not be happy that the number of Titans protecting the city just went up another notch?"</p><p>The Titanium Titan cocked an eyebrow incredulously. "You mean aside from the whole 'nearly destroying the city' thing? People don't tend to be big fans of super villains turning over a new leaf just like that; people tend to have long memories for people driving them out of their homes with elemental powers and legions of evil robots. Seriously, we're just lucky that no one knows what Ryo was up to before he joined up. People'd probably start thinking that harboring criminals was our new team pastime."</p><p>His companion glared at him weakly for a moment, then looked to the controller in his hands before dropping it. "Y'know what? Weak, Dude, weak. I don't even feel like playing anymore. I'm gonna go see what Terra's up to."</p><p>Cyborg felt a bit bad for harshing his buddy's mellow, but it was the truth. "She's training with Ryo. He told me he wants to keep it solo for now, too, since it's such a delicate stage of her training."</p><p>The emerald changeling deflated for a moment before perking up again. "That's alright. I'll see how she's doing after they're done. I bet she'll be ready to beg for one of my patented shoulder rubs by then!"</p><p>"I'm afraid not, Beast Boy."</p><p>Both couch adorning youths looked up just in time to see Robin stride into the room. "You, Raven and Starfire are on patrol duty tonight. I'm sure Terra will be still be here tomorrow, so you can survive until then," explained their leader.</p><p>Beast Boy grumbled a vague affirmative before quickly hopping off the couch and wandering off in a manner that could only be described as 'sulking'.</p><p>Shrugging to himself, and with all that drama out of the way, Cyborg went back to work on his blog.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>-Friday 8:12 AM-</p><p>"Again. Remember; <em>concentrate</em>... visualize your hand actually <em>lifting</em> the rock as you raise it," Ryouga explained in a low tone.</p><p>His blonde, willowy disciple groaned in annoyance, but obediently complied, spreading her feet apart and dropping down into a low Riding Horse stance. Ryouga studied her form for a moment, kicking her toes in a bit and forcing her fists more firmly onto her narrow hips. Once he was satisfied, he moved several feet to her side and dropped into a matching stance.</p><p>Nodding to the small pile of mid sized rocks several yards ahead of them, he continued with his lesson, "We both know that you could easily just move those rocks with a thought, but imagine you're picking them up with your hand, not your mind."</p><p>He didn't need to see behind him to know that Terra was rolling her eyes at his continuous repetition of the same concept again and again. "Now, tighten your fists and make the strike, just as I showed you. We'll do it slowly, so just follow my lead."</p><p>That said, Ryouga then began. Moving slowly, he extended his left hand forward from his hip, opening it palm up. As he did, his entire body twisted gently to the right, his right foot swinging out while his left foot slid back to a forty-five-degree angle, shifting him seamlessly into a Bow Stance.</p><p>Of course, as his left arm rose, little more occurred than the displacement of air and the utterly perfect transition from one stance to another.</p><p>Behind him, though, was another story. Though her stance was weak, and her movements lacked the grace garnered from long years of training, Terra's slow 'strike' yielded far more impressive results. It started as a small trembling in the pile of rocks as her tightly curled fist left her hip. However, as her narrow body twisted and her left hand rose, the pile of rocks slowly rose into the air as well -</p><p>Of course, that was a by-product of the massive slab of bedrock over a dozen feet in diameter tearing itself free from the ground and lifting in response to Terra's upturned palm.</p><p>A moment later, the mountainous molehill dropped back into its earthen cradle, shooting up a cloud of dust with its thunderous crash. Slowly, Ryouga turned to regard his student, the young woman sheepishly digging her toe into the dirt.</p><p>Sighing loudly, Ryouga dropped down to sit on the ground, motioning for Terra to do the same. "Look, Terra, I know this is hard, especially considering that it's going against how you've always done it, but this is important." He gestured to the Tower behind them, certain that a certain violet haired Titan was still in bed, sound asleep at the moment. "I've talked to Raven about this, and she told me that it's very common for many telekinetic types to imagine their power as a kind of invisible hand."</p><p>Terra scoffed loudly. "But that's <em>stupid</em>, Ryouga! If my power only worked like an invisible hand, I wouldn't be able to do, like, ninety percent of the stuff I do. Why would I want to <em>imagine</em> a magical hand lifting those rocks, when I can just <em>think </em>about a column shooting out of the ground-"</p><p>Her diatribe was disrupted when a column of earth suddenly shot up from the ground several feet from where Ryouga was sitting. Moving quickly, the martial artist dove to the side and slid into a low crouch, but thankfully this time the errant spire of rock proved to be relatively stable and didn't collapse all over them like the last four-story tower of rock did.</p><p>Terra withered under Ryouga's glare.</p><p>"<em>...</em>aheh... um sorry?" she muttered quickly.</p><p>Releasing another weary sigh, Ryouga waited for her to lower the spire back into the ground before resuming his seat. "That is exactly the reason we're doing this." An errant thought struck him, and he chuckled despite himself. "It's ironic, but as a martial artist, I will literally train a move, or a technique for years until it becomes so ingrained that I can do it without even thinking, but with you, my final goal is your starting point."</p><p>He noted Terra's head tilt to the side a bit, an inquiring glint in her eyes. "It's an old, adage, at least I think it is. 'Power without wisdom', or something to that extent," he stated.</p><p>"I think I've heard of that," she replied, "But what does it mean?"</p><p>He shrugged. "Well, think of it this way: People like Ranma and I are extremely powerful martial artists. Ranma can punch faster and harder than a jackhammer and I can reduce boulders to gravel with my pinky finger." He brandished said pinky finger to drive his point home. "Now, how hard do you think it would be for either of us to kill an untrained person if we wanted to?"</p><p>Terra's face took on an interestingly pale pallor as she swallowed nervously.</p><p>"However, we had to train and study extremely hard to get to that point. We know all of the ramifications that any strike may have on a person's body, we know intimately the kind of trauma that we can inflict on another person, and that knowledge tempers every single punch or kick that we throw." He paused for a moment to scratch the back of his head sheepishly. "Of course, some people learn the lessons better than others, but for the most part I don't really want to hurt people too badly, so I know, more or less, how much power, or which techniques I need to use to disable a person without harming them too much."</p><p>He then gestured to her. "Now, I don't want to come across too harshly, but you never really went through what Ranma or I did. You received your power as is, incredibly powerful and tied closely to your instincts."</p><p>Terra looked like she wanted to say something, her lips pressed in a tight line, but she waited for him to continue.</p><p>"I'll be frank," he said clearly, "You don't really understand the consequences of using your power, you just use it. I think the cliché would be the 'handing someone a gun' thing. All you have to do is pick up a few ounces of steel and lead and you have all the killing potential of a martial arts master, but with none of the restraint and control that a martial artist learns from his lifetime of training."</p><p>"I am <em>not</em> a handgun, Ryouga!" Terra scowled fiercely as she fired daggers at him with her eyes. "And I have too trained and stuff with my powers! I don't wanna hurt anyone either, it just... kinda happens sometimes..."</p><p>Ryouga nodded, sighing loudly. "As insane as it is for me to say this, I actually wish Ranma was here to talk to you about this. I'm not exactly the best person to be lecturing you on this topic... I'm not exactly known for controlling myself. I kinda feel like a jerk sitting here and lecturing you about something that I've had so much trouble with."</p><p>Terra regarded him oddly for a moment... Until finally a fond smile settled on her lips and she dropped a companionable hand on his knees. Of course, he missed the faint blush on her cheeks at the contact as he stared at his own sandals.</p><p>"Don't be so hard on yourself, Ryouga. I'd rather be hearing this from someone that knows what it's like to actually struggle, than from a perfect, high horse sitting guy that doesn't have a clue what it's like to not be perfect," she supplied with a lopsided grin.</p><p>He looked up to stare at her, locking gazes with her brilliant blue eyes for a second, before shaking his head in bemusement. "I think you've been hanging out with me too long, Terra, though I have to admit that I like what I'm hearing."</p><p>The geokinetic girl giggled gaily.</p><p>"Still," Ryouga continued, rising to his feet, and brushing some dust from his pants. "That's enough moralizing for now. How about we get back to work?"</p><p>"<em>Awwww</em>!" Terra groaned loudly, "Do we have to? We've been at this for nearly two hours already? Why can't we go over and watch Beast Boy and Robin training for a bit?" She gestured to the distant pair emphatically.</p><p>Ryouga shook his head ruefully. He had been studiously ignoring the younger pair of heroes as they trained a few dozen yards away since they had joined them on the beach nearly a half an hour earlier.</p><p>"You do realize," he turned to glance at his student, "That the only reason that Beast Boy is out here training at this hour is because he wants to watch your training, right?"</p><p>The slight girl nodded absently, dropping her chin onto an upraised palm as she gazed at the distant fighters. "Yeah, I think it's kinda sweet, y'know?" A small giggle escaped her lips. "BB's been trying to fight his way over here for the past ten minutes, but Robin stops him in his tracks every time."</p><p>Ryouga nodded in agreement. He'd noticed that, though really, he was more curious as to why Beast Boy was limiting himself to his human form- <em>Hey, wait a minute</em>!</p><p>"Hey, wait a minute!" he barked, turning to glare at his pupil, "You've been watching them fight ever since they got here, haven't you? No wonder you can't concentrate now!"</p><p>Instantly Terra's face flushed a light crimson color as she began to stutter rapidly. "N-n-no I <em>haven't</em>! I'm totally focused on our training, really, I promise!"</p><p>Ryouga's eyes narrowed as he studied her face. "I doubt even Kasumi would buy that, Terra."</p><p>"<em>Pfft</em>!" Terra raspberried him heartily drawing down her bottom eyelid as she did. "Like you've never been distracted while you were training!"</p><p>The vivid memory of a suspended boulder with the name 'Akane' roughly hewn into its surface by what looked like a series of frantic finger pokes flashed through Ryouga's mind.</p><p>"O-o-of course I <em>haven't</em>! I'm a skilled martial artist, I would never be distracted from my training!"</p><p>Wide blue eyes rolled dramatically as Terra drawled, "<em>Riiiiight</em>. I doubt even Kasumi would buy that, Ryouga."</p><p>"Oh, shut up," Ryouga groused as he crossed his arms over his chest... well, crossly. He then quickly rose to his feet and dropped back into the Riding Horse stance. "Alright, that's enough of a break. Let's see if you can't try concentrating a bit more this time."</p><p>He didn't 'see' Terra sticking her tongue out at him, but he was pretty much certain that she was.</p><p>With that, they began again, Ryouga and Terra both reaching out with their left hands as they shifted from Riding Horse to Bow stance. It was slow work, but with her attention back on her goal, Terra seemed to be getting the hang of it.</p><p>"Remember, your mind and your body are one and the same. Your movements give guidance to your power, your breathing gives focus to your movements and your thoughts give purpose to your actions." Moving slowly, Ryouga began to lift his hand, the thrum of his chi flowing through him. The resonance between his life force, the energy of the earth, and the wildly surging power of Terra was intense, like three strings of a piano in perfect tune.</p><p>Mimicking his movements, Terra's hand rose gracefully through the air, her chest raising and lowering in a calm rhythm and her eyes flashing brightly. Slowly, the rocks began to vibrate once more, then, after several painfully long seconds, the entire pile of stones rose smoothly into the air, lifted easily by the invisible hand of the young blonde's power.</p><p>Smiles bloomed tentatively on both of their faces as Terra held her pose, shaking only slightly, the small cloud of igneous material levitating effortlessly before her and not rocketing off dangerously, or shaking the tower to pieces, just a calm, perfect example of contro-</p><p>"Wow, Terra! You're doing really good!" Beast Boy's rang out loudly.</p><p>Shocked, both Terra and Ryouga spun to stare at the intruding changeling. The green teen was walking up, waving non-chalantly to them -</p><p>"Yo, Ryo, wha-aaa<em>hhhh-"</em></p><p>- Just in time to be buried alive by the swarm of rocks which had abruptly flown around to follow Terra's line of sight when she turned to look at Beast Boy.</p><p>"<em>Beast Boy</em>!" Terra squealed sharply as she ran forward to start digging the poor boy out of his makeshift tomb.</p><p>Ryouga just rolled his eyes at the embarrassing display and walked over to join Robin, who was currently shaking his head. "And you people wonder why I asked for some solitude while we were training," the Lost Boy muttered lightly.</p><p>Robin shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "I'm sorry about that. I knew Beast Boy only wanted to come down here to spy on you guys, but his suggestion that we try training him to try to actually use the strange 'Beast' form that he used back at the Hive Academy was too interesting to pass up."</p><p>"Ahh, is that why he wasn't transforming at all?" Ryouga asked. He absently pointing his thumb over his shoulder to where Terra was tightly clutching the moaning Beast Boy's head to her chest, his spinning eyes completely ignorant of his good fortune.</p><p>The masked titan nodded. "Yeah, I told him the only form he could use was his Beast form. I'm starting to think training it will be a lot harder than we thought. This form doesn't seem to be like the rest; he knows he has it, but he can't just bring it out on command."</p><p>Ryouga cocked his head to the side as he regarded his small leader. "What seems to be the problem?"</p><p>"Well, I can't be certain," Robin began, "But I think this form is bound tightly to his instincts. If he knows that he's not in any real danger, or as long as he knows that he's not fighting an enemy, it's doubtful that he'll be able to access that form."</p><p>The bandanna clad fighter nodded in agreement. "That explains why he didn't use it against me when I was under the Headmaster's control."</p><p>"Maybe, maybe not," countered Robin, "Frankly, we don't know enough about it to say anything for sure, and unless anyone is willing to really back Beast Boy against a wall and risk drawing it out, I doubt we'll learn anything soon."</p><p>The corner of Robin's lip quirked up in amusement as Ryouga tapped his chin, fang peeking out ever so slightly, and 'hmmm'd' loudly in consideration.</p><p>"Don't you dare!" cried Terra from behind them. The young blonde then struggled to lift Beast Boy's senseless form to her side. Then, before Ryouga could respond, she stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm gonna take Beast Boy to the infirmary before you two decide to do anything worse to him. Honestly, the poor guy has had to put up with enough already."</p><p>With that, Terra began to drag her unfortunate cargo with her, leaving the pair of martial artists alone on the beach.</p><p>"...Soo," Robin began casually, "How's the training going?"</p><p>Ryouga began to smile, but his fanged grin soon dissolved into a deep frown. "It's progressing well ...But it's hard to get excited over that considering what I'm trying to do."</p><p>This time it was Robin's head that tilted to the side inquisitively. "What do you mean? I thought you were quite excited about your 'Avatar' based training idea."</p><p>"I was at the time..." Ryouga's shoulders slumped slightly. "And, sure, the martial arts aspect is a great way to teach control, but mostly it's just a cover for what I'm really trying to do."</p><p>Ryouga paused for a moment, looking less than sure about continuing, but finally he released a weary sigh. "I feel like I'm betraying her, Robin. I'm not really 'teaching her control', so much as I'm trying to forge a pair of mental blocks to hamper her use of her power."</p><p>"What? Why would you do that?"</p><p>Lifting his hands in a sign of defeat, Ryouga replied, "It's the only thing I could think of. I need to break her back down to a basic level before I can start teaching her in any meaningful way." The Lost Boy cursed to himself. "If only Raven had agreed to train her, this probably wouldn't be necessary, but I only know how to think in terms of martial arts."</p><p>Robin seemed to consider his words for a time... before nodding slowly to himself. "I understand this might be hard for you, but Raven says that your approach is working better than anything she could be doing... Still, are there any possible side effects to this training that we might want to know about?"</p><p>Ryouga considered the question for a moment before nodding. "Raven did raise one concern. The paradox of the telekinetic visualizing their power as an 'invisible hand' often leaves them incapable of flight since the concept of using your own hand to pick yourself up is too hard for most to overcome."</p><p>"So, you're saying that Terra might lose her ability to fly?" Robin asked, not sounding too enthused.</p><p>"Only in the short term," Ryouga responded quickly. "Once the mental blocks are firmly in place, then I can begin teaching her how to break them down again. When all is said and done, I'm just knocking her down so that I can help her stand back up again, just with a few handy pointers this time around."</p><p>The young bird's good-natured chuckle helped to raise Ryouga's flagging spirit slightly.</p><p>"Well, if that's what it takes to help Terra get her powers back under control, then that's what it takes. The basics are the most important part of any training, and as long as you and Raven both feel confident in this approach, then I won't interfere," offered the masked Titan.</p><p>"Ummm... and if only Raven is feeling confident in this approach?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>-Saturday 9:03 A.M.-</p><p>Raven looked at her adversary warily, not trusting, for a moment, that it meant her anything but ill will.</p><p>If the simmering pot of... food, was at all intimidated by her narrow-eyed glare, it gave no outward sign. Rather the lid continued to bounce around merrily as steam escaped from the depths of its stainless steel and Teflon coated belly.</p><p>"Again, I feel compelled to ask: why am I helping to make breakfast at this ungodly hour?"</p><p>Her companions/enslavers, the crimson haired Tamaranean and the chestnut haired Tendo shared an enigmatic smile before turning their attention back to their own culinary master pieces.</p><p>"Well, we all had so much fun on our night out on the town, that I thought it would be nice if we spent some more time together," Kasumi replied happily as she began to scramble the pan full of eggs before her.</p><p>Starfire's cheerful giggle filled the air, and she did her best to cover her smile with her hand. "That, and after witnessing Cyborg's most vivid re-enactment of your... noble attempt to prepare the Cake of Pans whilst we were still stranded in the Joketsuzoku village, we believed that instructing you in the proper methods of cooking would be a most constructive endeavor."</p><p>To her credit, Raven kept her dark grumbling mostly to herself as she lifted the lid of her pot and took a quick glance inside. It appeared that her eggs were boiling satisfactorily so far... She still wasn't sure whether she should feel somewhat insulted that the Tendo woman had suggested they begin with 'something closer to Raven's level of ability'.</p><p>Honestly, the hallucinations hadn't been <em>that</em> terrifying... for her, at least.</p><p>She was considering commenting as such when the opening of the far door caught her attention. The unexpected sight of Ryouga Hibiki striding through the doorway, making a... somewhat straight line in their direction flustered the dark Titan for a moment. Several thoughts flitted through her head in an instant.</p><p>Wondering what he was doing there so early was quickly discounted as she remembered that she was the night owl, while he was the early bird. Wanting to take a second to fix her hair was equally foolish, as her hood was pulled firmly in place making it a moot point. Embarrassment that he might see her cooking hard boiled eggs, of all things, though easily the most ridiculous of the thoughts, was also the hardest to shake.</p><p>So rather than do anything to draw attention to herself, she simply attempted to hide even further within the folds of her cloak while her companions took the initiative to greet the approaching Titan.</p><p>"Greetings, friend Ryouga! It is a glorious morning, is it not?"</p><p>"Good morning, Ryouga, won't you join us?"</p><p>"Good morning, everyone." The bandanna clad warrior rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment as he wandered up to the kitchen area. Despite her wishes, the Lost Boy instantly zeroed in on her and circled the island counter to stand beside her, a look of interest on his face.</p><p>"You're helping out, Raven? That's cool, I didn't know you could cook," Ryouga asked/stated in a supportive tone.</p><p>Not sure whether to be flattered or insulted by the inquiry, the dark Titan responded in a neutral tone, "So much as this <em>can</em> be called cooking. Hard boiled eggs are hardly-"</p><p>"Hard boiled eggs? I love hard boiled eggs," Ryouga exclaimed suddenly. The sudden statement not only cut her off but confounded the dark Titan as well. She turned to stare at Kasumi for a moment - wait a moment, had the brunette just <em>winked</em> at her? Shaking her head quickly to clear it of the possible hallucination, Raven quickly turned back to Ryouga.</p><p>"You do?" she asked incredulously.</p><p>"Oh, yeah. You'd be surprised how often it is that the only thing you can scrounge up is a few eggs when you're on the road." Ryouga chuckled to himself, looking slightly embarrassed. "And hard boiling an egg just means that many less dishes to do after you're done... So, I guess I just kinda grew to like them like that."</p><p>Well, that was quite pragmatic. Of course, for Ryouga, the term 'on the road' likely meant 'hopelessly lost in some labyrinthine forest, miles from civilization', but she was starting to understand just how close to normal that was for the poor guy. "Well, really, it was that Kasumi suggested this was all I c-"</p><p>"Should need to do," Kasumi's interruption wasn't sharp, but it was quite effective as she continued immediately, "After all, Starfire and I have the rest of breakfast well in hand, but it certainly was nice of her to offer to help us like that, now wasn't it, Ryouga?"</p><p>The Tendo woman might as well have been laying down commandments, considering how quickly the fanged boy began nodding in agreement. For the life of her, though, Raven couldn't figure out what in the world was going on. Though it had been quite subtle, there had been a status quo lately, a barely perceptible level of passive aggressive warfare in which Raven had been steadily losing ground to brightly smiling attrition.</p><p>So, when had Kasumi suddenly become her 'secret co-conspirator'?</p><p>"But, Ryouga, for what reason have you joined us at this hour?" Starfire suddenly asked out of left field, "Do you not have the training of Terra to endeavor towards this morning?"</p><p>Immediately, Ryouga's hand went to the back of his head in a classic display. The embarrassed laugh quickly followed, bringing the 'embarrassed trait' tally to two. "Umm, well... Actually, Terra made a... convincing argument that she should get today off since it was Saturday."</p><p>"<em>Terra's got today off</em>!"</p><p>The unexpected and excited outburst quickly drew everyone's attention to the elevator, which had opened mere seconds earlier to reveal the lanky figure of Beast Boy. Before anyone so much as had the chance to mutter a syllable, the emerald teen transformed into an emerald cheetah and raced out the side door in a blur of speed.</p><p>Ryouga winced at the rapid departure. "Ah, someone might want to stop him. Terra made it pretty clear that she was intent on sleeping in until at least noon today."</p><p>Raven's eyebrow arched upwards as she turned to regard the Lost Boy, his last several statements suddenly adding up to a very strange number indeed. "And... what exactly was this argument that Terra used to win you over so thoroughly?"</p><p>The Lost Boy lifted a hand to touch his cheek gingerly, and Raven suddenly noticed the long, rectangular red mark which looked to be slowly fading beneath his fingertips. "Well, let's just say that spending a day to work on her upper body strength might have been a mistake..."</p><p>Instantly, Starfire floated in between the two of them, taking an incredibly close look at Ryouga's cheek. Then, in a gesture which caused a strange twinge in Raven's chest for some reason, the Tamaranean ran a delicate finger down the Lost Boy's cheek as she inspected the 'wound'. The violet eyed Titan couldn't put her own, more metaphorical finger on it, but there was something about the scene which seemed... intimate, even by the ridiculous standards that the would-be siblings had previously demonstrated.</p><p>Not sure how, or even if she should respond, Raven lifted a hesitant finger-</p><p>"What is this <em>War</em> and <em>Peace</em> which is imprinted on your cheek, Ryouga?" asked the curious Tamaranean abruptly.</p><p>The non sequitur brought Raven up short. <em>She threw a book at him</em>?</p><p>"I dunno, but Terra said that the next person to try to wake her up today was gonna be reading the sequel, 'if you get what I'm saying'... or so she put it, anyway," Ryouga explained.</p><p>Kasumi tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Do you think that perhaps one of us should go warn Garfield before-"</p><p>The distant sound of a frightfully loud *thwak* was quickly followed by the dull *thud* of something heavy hitting the floor, which in turn was quickly followed by a muffled gasp of what sounded like apology.</p><p>Kasumi looked in the vague direction from which the sound had originated for a long moment... before finally turning her attention back to Ryouga. "...So, what are you planning to do with your day off then, Ryouga?"</p><p>Ryouga stared at the Tendo woman uncertainly for an instant, before shrugging. "I hadn't really thought about it, actually. Maybe I shoul..."</p><p>The sudden trailing off of the Lost Boy's sentence would have confused Raven - had she not seen Kasumi ever so subtly rolling her eyes over in her direction. Regardless, it still took him a moment to follow the line that Kasumi was making and make a sudden 'ah' of realization as he pieced together the older woman's ever so clever hints.</p><p>Instantly Ryouga's face began to tint red and he started to tap his fingertips together shyly as he turned to face her again. "Aheh... Um - ah, <em>hi</em> there, Raven," he began uncertainly.</p><p>Though a tiny, tiny part of her was disappointed by his sudden loss of confidence, the sudden pounding in her chest reminded her that she was hardly one to be talking. She had a fairly good idea what could be coming and had no idea what to do... So, she decided to go with her normal response to such an inane greeting.</p><p>"Um, yes, Ryouga, we've already established that I'm here," she replied drolly...</p><p>Hmmm, that had come across as slightly more sarcastic than she'd intended. She certainly hoped that the Lost Boy's near complete inability to detect subtlety held true.</p><p>"W-well - well, I... I was just wondering if, y'know, if you had any p-p-plans for the day?" Impressively, if Ryouga had been at all offended, he gave no sign in his stuttering, hopelessly pathetic inquiry into her schedule.</p><p>The dark Titan internalized her sigh of relief as she listened to Ryouga asking her out on a date in that adorably pathetic manner of his-</p><p><em>Wait a moment! </em>Asking her out on a date!</p><p>As the implications of the innocuous question became apparent, primal flight instincts flared to life and Raven did her best to escape into the depths of her own robe. Even as she nervously pulled her hood down to hide her face, the only response she could muster was a shaky - "P-plans?"</p><p>Face growing more crimson by the second, Ryouga nodded jerkily. "Yeah, those things... Not that I would expect you to <em>not</em> have plans, in fact you probably do, but I was just thinking, on the off chance that you don't have plans, and I don't have any plans, that maybe - maybe we could... make some... plans?"</p><p>Suddenly, Raven found herself bereft of her glib wit. This wasn't at all like the other instances that the Lost Boy had dragged her into the city. Their early morning brunches had exclusively proceeded from the comforting premise of 'strategy sessions' in concern to restoring Terra.</p><p>But with Terra no longer a statue, said pretence no longer existed... If she said yes, then it would mean that the only reason they would be going out would be to enjoy each other's company away from the prying eyes of the others. Raven pulled a little harder on her hood, desperate to hide her smoldering cheeks.</p><p>This was a milestone moment, a landmark decision that could forever change the nature of her relationship with the martial artist. Did she do the smart thing and say 'no'? Thus, enforcing the status quo and dooming herself to a life of solitude...</p><p>Or, did she risk everything and say 'yes'? Did she dare to hope that a relationship could work out for the best, despite the stark reality that the prophecy of her life entailed? Was it <em>really</em> better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all... Or was that just a load of crap?</p><p>Even as the prospect of such a monumental decision terrified her, the idea of taking charge of her destiny, as futile as the gesture would ultimately be, excited her. All she needed to do was lift her chin proudly, stare him straight in the eye-</p><p>And watch in shock as Starfire dragged the helplessly resisting boy out of the room. "-and then, we can prevail upon Beast Boy to give us a most comical, though biologically accurate tour of the Jump City Zoo!"</p><p>"B-biologically <em>wha</em>-" Only for the closing of the elevator doors to cut off the rest of the pair's conversation.</p><p>Raven blinked once... then again, her jaw slowly moving up and down as she tried to process what had just happened. Slowly, she turned to stare at the tall Japanese woman to her side. Kasumi wore an oddly shame faced expression, but after a moment of enduring Raven's incredulous scrutiny, the brunette simply shrugged.</p><p>"How would Victor put it... You snooze, you lose?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>-Sunday 7:30 PM-</p><p>The Hunter prowled the many corridors and tunnels of his domain. His was a vast kingdom, but one filled with many other predators. His fellow hunters may have been larger and stronger than he, but they sought different prey, and thus they co-existed peacefully.</p><p>Moving with animal grace, he zipped around a corner, intent on following a certain scent.</p><p>And co-exist they had... until recently. One of the other predators - or was he prey? - had been interfering in his hunt, however unwittingly. As such, the Hunter needed to make sure his unknowing rival was indisposed before beginning his own hunt.</p><p>The Hunter inhaled sharply, the strong scent of his rival filling his nostrils. The 'Other' was close now, likely resting in the main den of their shared lair. The Hunter slithered down the hallway, then crawled, then fluttered through the air until he came to the entrance of the chamber.</p><p>With hardened claw, the Hunter inched the massive metal door open just wide enough to allow an eyestalk to slide through and survey the scene beyond.</p><p>Success!</p><p>Just as the Hunter had hoped, his rival, the fanged, bandanna-wearing predator was lounging on the couch. He was not alone, either. The fiery haired Tamaranean was nestled closely to his side and the two appeared to be reading some kind of comic book together.</p><p>To the side of that pair, Cyborg and Kasumi sat, apparently discussing a text of some sort. The titanium hunter and the Japanese housekeeper was the last of the obvious predator/prey relationships still left intact in the Hunter's mind.</p><p>Glancing to the last pair in the room, sitting at the distant kitchen counter, Raven and Robin were discussing something in hushed tones, frequently casting inscrutable glances to the comic reading duo at the center of the room.</p><p>The lines between predator and prey had been growing more and more blurred lately. The young bird, the perennial prey of the flame haired lioness seemed to have realized that the hunt had ended recently and seemed to be uncertain as how to react.</p><p>The dark Raven was just as much hunter as hunted... Though always the wrong one at the wrong time. Obviously, her inexperience in the hunt was leaving her vulnerable to more experienced predators.</p><p>Then, of course, there was the Japanese martial artist, the most hesitant hunter of all, so clueless about hunting his own prey, that he didn't even realize that he had been marked by two other hunters.</p><p>The whole thing was becoming a convoluted mess and the only thing that seemed imminent was a whole world of heart break for all involved...</p><p>But none of that was the Hunter's problem!</p><p>Confident that his rival was thoroughly distracted, his own hunt could proceed unhindered. In a flash, the predator pulled back from the door and sprinted down the hallway as fast as four spotted legs would allow. He skidded around corners, blurred down corridors, and flew up staircases with speed borne of familiarity and, within minutes, he found himself standing before his goal-</p><p>A metal door with the word 'Terra' stencilled on its surface.</p><p>Taking a moment to lick his hand and smooth down his unruly hair, the Hunter leaned casually against the door frame, to best show off his own lean frame, and then knocked sharply on the door.</p><p>He was alerted to the sound of frantic scrambling from within his prey's dwelling and it took several painfully long seconds before the door slide open to reveal the perfect face of the golden-haired Terra...</p><p>Well, as much of her face as the inch gap that she slid the door open revealed, at any rate.</p><p>"Beast Boy? What are you doing here?"</p><p>The obvious distress in the girl's voice confused the Hunter. This certainly wasn't the first time he'd appeared at her door thusly, and she'd never acted... um... thusly before.</p><p>Inquisitive by nature, the Hunter leaned forward to try to see what was different about this situation.</p><p>"Umm, hey, Terra." The Hunter opened with a verbal distraction while he moved in closer. "I was just seein if ya wanted to, y'know, hang out or something?"</p><p>His prey's anxiety level only seemed to increase as his face inched closer to the door. It almost looked like she was trying to shift her body away from the door while keeping her face in view.</p><p>"I'm <em>really</em> sorry, Beast Boy, but this is a <em>really</em> bad time. I promised Ryouga that I would review the Avatar tapes again, since I hit him with that book yesterday." His prey's explanation, while somewhat logical, was also quite frustrating.</p><p>"Hey! You hit me with a book yesterday, too, and you didn't promise to do anything for me!"</p><p>His prey's eyes narrowed, never a good sign. "Yeah? Well maybe you should have thought about that before running off to the zoo with Ryouga and Starfire without even thinking to ask me!"</p><p>The Hunter gesticulated wildly in protest. "But you're still not allowed to go into the city. Ryouga hasn't cleared you yet."</p><p>The young blonde sniffed loudly. "So? It still would have been nice of you to at least <em>ask</em>, instead of just running off without a word."</p><p>The Hunter wanted to continue protesting, but keen instinct warned him to change his approach before the chase ended in disaster. Instantly, a bashful smile spread across his lips.</p><p>"You're absolutely right, Terra. I was bein' a jerk by not thinking of you. I totally should have got Robin to back down. Heck, Star, Raven and Kasumi did for that girls' night out you guys had." Leaning forward, he winked. "Why don't you let me make it up to you? I could totally whip up some snacks and we could watch the show together?"</p><p>For a moment, his prey looked torn, but eventually cast her gaze down regretfully. "I'm sorry, Beast Boy, but Ryouga really wanted me to concentrate on the movements and techniques with absolutely no distractions."</p><p>The Hunter frowned, chagrined. "Oh, so you're saying that I'd be a distraction?"</p><p>Terra rolled her eyes in amusement. "You know you <em>totally</em> would be, but that's not it." For some reason, her face began to redden noticeably. "It's just that... Well, I got rid of all the distractions I could think of. No music, no magazines, no lights... No clothes..."</p><p>The Hunter's astute mind took several seconds to process his prey's last words, then proceeded to do the only thing it could think of-</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Terra stared at Beast Boy for another minute, taking careful note of the wide eyed, slack jawed expression on his face, with just a hint of drool beginning to pool. After waiting another moment, just to be sure, the young blonde <em>very</em> carefully positioned herself so that she could fit her arm out the door and gently press a single finger to the green teen's forehead.</p><p>In an excellent impersonation of a sandcastle, the changeling instantly crumbled to the floor into a drooling heap of boy. Groaning to herself, Terra slid her door closed and went back to sit on her bed, adjusting her training bra as she did.</p><p>She was sure that if she'd had parents, they would have been <em>totally</em> right about boys only being interested in one thing.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>-Monday 6:25 PM-</p><p>
  <strong>Mental Checklist: Kitchen cleaned...</strong>
</p><p>Taking a quick glance around, Kasumi ran a finger along the counter. Upon inspection, her dainty digit was just as spotless as the space age countertop.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Check.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>-<strong>All of Beast Boy's toys cleaned up...</strong></p><p>Across the room, she noted the large box she'd commissioned from Victor. Said box was primly pushed back into the corner and was nearly overflowing with squeeze toys, balls of yarn, unsorted CD’s, and crumpled comics.</p><p>...<strong><em>A dubious check.</em></strong></p><p>
  <strong>-Dinner prepared and served...</strong>
</p><p>Terra and Garfield were just finishing putting the various dishes away after washing them. Such a helpful duo since that also let her check the next item off her list as well.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Double check.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>-Continue campaign to throw Raven mentally off balance.</strong>
</p><p>Raven, sitting on the far end of the long couch, was still staring uncertainly at the cup of tea that Kasumi had so kindly offered her. The tea was exactly the blend that Raven enjoyed, but Kasumi had placed a few drops of honey into it, to 'sweeten it up a touch'.</p><p>Now, the poor girl, who possessed no love of honey, looked torn between drinking the tea, since Kasumi had gone to the trouble of making it for her, or making another cup of tea, but possibly offending the Tendo sister.</p><p>The corner of Kasumi's lip curled up ever so slightly.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Check.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>- Subtly flirt with Cyborg...</strong>
</p><p>Kasumi tapped a finger to her chin as she regarded the young man sitting across the kitchen counter, contentedly typing away on his forearm. Not sure how to proceed, she fell back on her Hive villainess training and made a mental list of possible techniques she could use. List in mind, it didn't take her too long to choose a suitable approach.</p><p>Making sure to keep her eyes on the distant TV, currently showing some commercial or another, Kasumi lifted an elegant hand to her throat and let out a tiny cough, just enough to catch Victor's attention. Then, the moment he looked up at her, she gave out a lady-like yawn and <em>stretched</em> her arms high up and folded her hands absently behind her head.</p><p>Thanks to the dark T-shirt she was wearing, the impact was as rapid as it was devastating. The titanium Titan nearly fell right out of his seat, his eye widening to a saucer. It took all her training to stop herself from giggling as she studied him out of the corner of her eyes. Then, after a generous few second, she lowered her arms back down and turned to offer him a brilliant smile.</p><p>"Oh my, I must be more tired than I thought."</p><p>Victor's only response was to nod slowly up and down, his tiny arm computer totally forgotten.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Annnd Check.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Kasumi took a second to think about the rest of her possible chores, but with Ryouga, Robin and Starfire out on patrol - Ryouga had been quite insistent about the chance to get some real exercise - she couldn't complete any of the little tasks she came up with.</p><p>Which meant that she was all done for the night.</p><p>...Hmmm, now what to do with her free time? It would be at least ten minutes before Victor recovered enough to help her out with her medical training. Her Stories had all been Tivo'd earlier, so she could start watching those... but then Starfire had been quite enthralled by Dash Darrington's evil plot to replace his identical uncle and take over his eye patch manufacturing plant, all in order to win over the heart of the president's step-niece.</p><p>On second thought, this week's plot was a little simplistic.</p><p>With her options quickly dwindling, Kasumi found her attention drawn back to her pair of young assistants. Finally done with the washing, drying, and storing, Terra and Garfield were now sitting, looking very chummy with their stools pulled together, chatting away.</p><p>While eavesdropping was far from polite, it certainly beat boredom. She nearly giggled; what an odd thought that was. Boredom? Had she ever even considered that word back in Nerima? Who would have imagined that moving away from home and into a giant tower filled with real life superheroes would give her time to get bored?</p><p>"-I mean, it's great! I can't believe how much more confident I am in my powers already."</p><p>Oops, she almost missed what Terra was saying. Leaning back against the counter, feigning interest in the distant TV, Kasumi settled in to listen to Garfield's reply.</p><p>"Um, yeah... that sure is awesome how Ryo's trainin' is workin'."</p><p>"I <em>know</em>, right? I mean, I thought he was totally insane when he had me all strapped up for the BT training, but I haven't had an... um - accident in days," Terra continued, excitement simply oozing out of her-</p><p>Kasumi cringed. 'Oozing out'? That didn't sound very nice at all.</p><p>. . ., her voice <em>bursting</em> with excitement.</p><p>"That is pretty sweet... Say, when do you think Ryo is gonna give you the all clear so you aren't stuck training all day?" Beast Boy's inference was anything but subtle.</p><p>Terra tapped her chin lightly. "I dunno. Soon, I hope. He mentioned something about wanting to test me soon... But who knows how much longer the training might need to go on?"</p><p>Apparently the geokinetic girl was so caught up in her own little world that she completely missed the crestfallen expression that tumbled down the changeling's face. Rather than wait for him to respond, Terra continued right along.</p><p>"I actually hope the training doesn't end too soon. Working with Ryouga is great. He's so supportive, he actually understands what it's like to mess up from time to time and... and he's just really amazing!" Terra's exclamation was coupled with a potent 'starry-eyed' gaze.</p><p>Seeming less thrilled with the current by topic by the second, Garfield scoffed loudly. "Pfft! Ryo isn't <em>that</em> great. I mean, he's not even as strong as Star, he's not nearly as tough as Cyborg, Raven's got loads more firepower than him, spiritually speaking, and I can go <em>way</em> faster than him whenever I want." The shape shifter leaned back, smirking triumphantly. "The only thing he's really got goin' for him is his mad 'foo skills."</p><p>Kasumi winced; that had not been the best approach he could have used. In record time, the blonde Titan went from smiling to scowling.</p><p>"Why would you even say that?" Terra demanded hotly. "Sure, he's not perfect, but unlike <em>you</em> apparently, not all of <em>us</em> are!"</p><p>The Tendo woman could only shake her head sadly as things began to spiral out of control.</p><p>"Whoa, Terra, that's not what I meant-"</p><p>Terra was having none of his excuses, though, and cut him off harshly. "Is that what you think of me, too? Am I just a dangerously unstable poor man's version of <em>Raven</em>?"</p><p>At the far end of the room, reluctantly sipping her tea, Raven looked up at the mention of her name. Upon seeing that it was Beast Boy being berated, though, she quickly lost interest and went back to reading.</p><p>Victor, finally regaining enough of his senses to realize what was going on, quickly raised his hands in a warding gesture. "Hey now, Terra, <em>nobody</em> thinks you're anything like Raven!"</p><p>Again, the violet haired sorceress looked up, apparently trying to puzzle out whether she'd just been insulted or not, but then simply shrugged and went back to reading again.</p><p>"Of course not," Terra rebuked bitterly, "How could I possibly match up to someone as <em>perfect</em> as Raven?"</p><p>This time, Raven didn't even look up, just rolled her eyes.</p><p>Beast Boy, on the other hand, shook his head wildly. "Nonono! You got it all wrong, we weren't talking about you at all!"</p><p>Rather than be assuaged, Terra jumped to her feet, slapping her hands to the counter. "Oh, I don't <em>get it</em>, do I? Well, <em>excuuuuse</em> me for not be smart enough to pick up on all of your <em>subtle nuances</em>!"</p><p>Her piece said, Terra then stormed out of the room in a fit of petite pique, leaving a devastated Garfield, a confused Victor, and a concerned Kasumi glancing at each other awkwardly.</p><p>Raising her head yet again, Raven fired a mildly reproachful glare at the trio. "...You guys are idiots, you know that, right?"</p><p>At which point, Beast Boy jumped up, clutching his skull.</p><p>"<em>What just happened</em>!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>-Later that same night-</p><p>As a general rule, Raven enjoyed being right. Even more so, she enjoyed being right when it came at the expense of Beast Boy being wrong. However, in an exceedingly rare exception to that rule, Raven currently found herself less than thrilled with the accuracy of her own prediction.</p><p>"What the heck is going on, Raven?" This whole thing is driving me crazy."</p><p>Raven sighed, rubbing her temples in anguish as her emerald teammate paced anxiously around her room. "<em>How</em> did you get into my room again?" she asked, likely rhetorically. "I specifically remember locking the door."</p><p>If the boy heard her, he gave no sign as he continued his rant. "Seriously! If she isn't training <em>with</em> Ryo, she's doing training <em>for</em> Ryo. If she's not working on her own, she's too exhausted to hang out. If she's not too exhausted to hang out, then all she does is <em>talk about Ryouga</em>!"</p><p>Rolling her eyes, Raven gave Beast Boy 'the look'. "I fail to see how any of that is Ryouga's fault, or, more importantly, my problem."</p><p>Beast Boy responded with a literal 'puppy dog pout' - complete with whiskers - which pulled on even Raven's heart strings before morphing back. "Come on, Rae, you saw what happened. All I did was mention Ryo's name and Terra went all ballistic on me." The green skinned teen waved his arms around to accentuate his point.</p><p>Again, Raven rolled her eyes. "That is <em>hardly</em> what happened. You did your best to tear down one of your teammates, one of your <em>friends</em> just to make yourself look better."</p><p>Beast Boy frowned, opened his mouth... only to close it a few moments later. The look of embarrassment on the changeling's face was only slightly gratifying. "Okay, okay. I guess that I was pretty outta line there, but <em>still</em>! She took it totally personally!"</p><p>Dropping his arms to his sides in defeat, Beast Boy kicked the carpet despondently. "I don't get it, Rae. Half the time, it's just like old times with Terra, but the other half, she's getting' all mad at me, or pushing me away. She's not... she's not falling for Ryo, is she?"</p><p>For a few seconds, Raven considered just telling the emerald changeling to quit bothering her and leave her alone. It wasn't like he was the only one being left out in the cold, not that he would ever actually possess the empathy to realize that.</p><p>And yet, it was that self-same empathy that stayed her hand, as it were. Taking in her friend's hunched posture, his drooping ears, and shimmering eyes...</p><p>Sighing loudly, the violet eyed Titan patted the edge of the bed to her side, prompting Beast Boy to take a seat. Not quite sure how to proceed, she awkwardly patted him on the shoulder as she tried to organize her thoughts.</p><p>"It's not really what you think. I'm fairly certain that Terra isn't falling in love with Ryouga. It's hard for me to put into words, but I think-"</p><p>"Well, if she doesn't love him, then why was she defending him like that?" Beast Boy interrupted her frantically.</p><p>Resisting the urge to go from patting his shoulder to wringing his neck, Raven shook her head. "She <em>wasn't</em> defending him, she was defending herself, Beast Boy. I don't know how you could have possibly missed it, but Terra identifies herself with Ryouga. Any insult you aimed at him, may as well have been directed at her as well."</p><p>Beast Boy's brow furrowed as he desperately tried to interpret her words. "B-but that doesn't make any sense. Her and Ryouga don't got anything in common, and <em>we</em> were her friends way before he was. Why would she care what I say about Ryo?"</p><p>Raven's eyes narrowed as she regarded the changeling. "Perhaps for the same reason that <em>I</em> care when you needlessly insult Ryouga, seeing as he is our friend." She took a moment to center herself before continuing. "There are reasons beyond that, though."</p><p>"Like what?" Beast Boy asked, earning another glare.</p><p>"Well, there is no easy way to put this, but the main thing that I have been able to sense from Terra, from the very moment that she awoke, is that she feels-" Raven struggled to find a good euphemism, but ultimately failed. "Damaged, I suppose. Unworthy, perhaps, like she doesn't deserve to be here, with us."</p><p>"What? Why the heck would she think that!"</p><p>Feeling less certain of herself by the moment, Raven took a long breath. "Beast Boy... Terra, she did terrible things. To us, to this city, to herself... Things which many would call unforgivable. And yet, not one of us has even mentioned what transpired between all of us."</p><p>She noted the clueless expression on her companion's face and endeavored to explain things further. "Think about it. Since none of us have been willing to broach that subject, the issue, in Terra's mind, is hanging, unresolved over her head like the sword of Damocles every moment that she is with any of us, just waiting to drop."</p><p>Holding up her left hand, she nodded to her upraised palm. "On the other hand, you have Ryouga. Not only is there no troubled past dividing them, but he experienced a similar situation. A friend becoming a traitor, and now struggling to find his place within our team."</p><p>Beast Boy frowned, scratching his head. "I - I guess that is <em>kinda</em> similar..."</p><p>"Then, of course, there is the fact that he has, in no small way, become her personal savior in more ways than one. First, saving her from her stone prison, then saving her from herself with his makeshift training. Is it any wonder that she would be idolizing him, even if only a small bit?" She asked, smirking slightly.</p><p>Growling in frustration, the changeling pulled at his hair weakly. "Argh! <em>No</em>."</p><p>Smiling wickedly now, Raven leaned back and flipped her hair absently. This was starting to get amusing. "Not to mention the fact that he's something of a role model for her. Where she's still struggling to come to terms with what she's done, Ryouga has already become a valued and trusted member of our team, giving her hope for herself."</p><p>"Okay, I get it already!"</p><p>Not quite ready to stop yet, Raven stared at Beast Boy through lidded eyes.</p><p>"Did you know that earlier this week, Terra approached me with concerns over the training Ryouga was subjecting her to? Not certain what else to do, I told her of what Cologne subjected Ryouga to while training him and Starfire in the Hiryua Shoten Ha." She shivered unconsciously, the memories of even the echoes of the emotions she felt on the few occasions she had been present still haunted her occasionally. "After hearing of the utter insanity that he willingly endured to gain control of his emotions, she was inspired to continue her own training."</p><p>A random analogy struck her, eliciting a small chuckle. "As bafflingly ironic as it may sound, he is something of a guidepost for her, letting Terra know that her goals are actually attainable."</p><p>Unfortunately, her tiny joke didn't elicit so much as a smile from her companion, who appeared to be lost in thought.</p><p>"So... she's not in love with him, she's just way more comfortable around him than us because she's still secretly terrified that we might start yelling at her for betraying us at any minute?" he mused aloud.</p><p>Somewhat shocked, Raven nodded. "That is actually the gist of what I was trying to explain. There is an off chance that the method Ryouga used to acclimate his ki to match Terra's that might be contributing to the ease of familiarity, but honestly I have no idea if Terra is actually sensitive enough to pick up on that."</p><p>Beast Boy looked at her oddly for a moment before just shaking his head. "I dunno what you're talkin' about with that stuff, but now that we know what the problem is, how do we fix it?"</p><p>The dark Titan's head tilted inquisitively. "Fix it?"</p><p>Beast Boy rolled his wrist leadingly. "You know what I mean. We know why Terra's acting weird around us, why she's not really that comfortable around any of us... So, what do we do to fix it?"</p><p>Taking a deep breath, Raven released it in a weary sigh. Was he hoping for some easy answer, some quick fix? Some easy answer that would make things all better.</p><p>"Beast Boy-"</p><p>Which was precisely the moment that the emergency siren flared to life, drowning out anything she might have hoped to say. Moving on instinct, both Titans pulled out their communicators and flipped the devices open. An instant later, Robin's familiar face filled the tiny screen.</p><p>"Calling all Titans. A silent alarm was just tripped at a chemical company outside the city. Everyone meet us there as soon as you can."</p><p>Before the duo even had the chance to get to their feet, something unexpected happened, as Ryouga's face suddenly replaced their young leader's. "That means you too, Terra!"</p><p>"It's time for your first test!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Looking down on the warehouse, the ancient martial arts master's wrinkled lips curled in anticipation. The light of the morning sun wouldn't brighten the Gotham skyline for well over an hour and their quarry was due any minute now. The cargo ship, now resting peacefully in the bay, had already unloaded its exotic cargo, and said cargo had already been moved to the large storehouse below.</p><p>A whisper of sound heralded the appearance of his disciple as she alighted on the ledge to his side. The darkly clad girl bore her familiar Cheshire grin as she studied the warehouse for herself.</p><p>"How are you feeling, Disciple? Are you prepared?"</p><p>The lovely young woman nodded enthusiastically. "I have <em>months</em> of pent-up frustration just waiting to get unleashed. This is going to be the most violently therapeutic thing I've ever done."</p><p>The ancient master chuckled in amusement. "Try to leave our poor friend alive, if possible. I know I haven't exactly gone easy on you but try not to take it all out of on our unsuspecting victim."</p><p>"No promises, Master, but I'll try to play nice."</p><p>A flicker of motion on the street far below, a dark shape slipping into the warehouse in question alerted them that the time for talk was over.</p><p>"Poor guy... Looks like his luck just ran out," she quipped, smiling brightly.</p><p>"Hmmm, that's actually not too bad." He then reached up and patted her on the bottom, giving her a not so gentle shove off the ledge.</p><p>"Now go enjoy your first test, Jinx."</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Terra sat on her bed, legs tucked tightly to her chest, ankles crossed, and chin pressed firmly on her knees. The pale, desert motif of her room offered small comfort as she rocked slowly back and forth, Beast Boy's words continuing to ring through her ears.</p><p>'<em>Pfft! Ryo isn't that great... The only thing he's really got goin' for him is his mad 'foo skills.'</em></p><p>Why would he say something like that? She'd thought Beast Boy liked Ryouga... but now she was confused. If Beast Boy could act so friendly around Ryouga, just to talk like that behind the guy's back... well, what could he be saying about Terra behind <em>her</em> back?</p><p>She had been simply amazed by Ryouga. So strong, so fast, so - so <em>everything, </em>but if the person that had saved her life didn't measure up, what did that say about her?</p><p>Sighing loudly, she flopped back to lay on her bed. Maybe she'd be lucky, and her dreams wouldn't be filled with fire for a change.</p><p>The sudden braying of an alarm quickly followed by the beeping of the communicator on her nightstand shattered her hopes for pleasant dreams. She stared uncertainly at the device. Whatever the emergency was, she could only make it worse anyway, so there was no point in even picking it up...</p><p>Still, curiosity was a powerful force.</p><p>With a flick of her wrist, she flipped open the lid just in time to catch the tail end of Robin's call for aid. Just as she'd expected, there was no call for her to join the battle; another night of warming the bench awaited her, again. Honestly, she wondered if Robin and the others would <em>ever</em> trust her enough to put her back on duty.</p><p>Heck, she still hadn't decided if going back on duty was what she even wanted.</p><p>"And that means you, Terra! It's time for your first test!"</p><p>Lost in thought as she'd been, she could only stare at the tiny face of her 'master', shock evident on her features. Her first test? Ryouga thought she was ready for her first test already?</p><p>A myriad of emotions washed over her at once: dread, trepidation, fear, a rumbling in her tummy - she wasn't enough of an emotion expert to know what that last one was, but she didn't like it. Still, all those feelings paled as she sat up, hugging herself. All she could think as she stared at her narrow knees was:</p><p>
  <em>He actually trusts me!</em>
</p><p>Getting into uniform and making her way to the garage all seemed to happen in a blur, punctuated by loud shouts of congratulations from Cyborg and supportive smiles from Beast Boy as she found herself swept into the T-Car.</p><p>The drive was equally hazy. Any attempts at conversation were met with monosyllabic responses. Every inch of the drive saw her mind consumed with thoughts of what could possibly be coming next. Who would they be fighting? Would it be dangerous? Would she lose control?</p><p>Would she end up hurting her friends again?</p><p>She didn't even register the looks of concern on her companion's faces as she stared vacantly out the window, biting down on the thumb of her heavy leather glove the entire trip. The only reason she noticed their arrival at the chemical plant was from Raven gently pulling her out of the car.</p><p>The first sight she saw, aside from the massive, sprawling structure of the chemical plant in the distance, was not something she'd wanted to see.</p><p>Robin and Ryouga arguing.</p><p>Even from a distance, the heated expressions and waving arms made it more than obvious they were fighting about something. All that closing that distance did was confirm her fears of just what it was they were fighting about.</p><p>"-far too dangerous, I can't allow it!" Robin barked loudly.</p><p>"Too dangerous? It's just one guy, Robin. This is the perfect chance to test Terra's training. I can't have everyone interfering and getting in her way!" Ryouga fired back.</p><p>Even as Terra wondered what they could be arguing about beyond her involvement, Raven glided up beside her. The darker Titan was wearing a tight-lipped frown as she muttered to herself. "Surely he can't be suggesting <em>that</em>."</p><p>"There is <em>no </em>way that I'm letting Terra fight an unknown threat alone. I wouldn't allow it even if she wasn't in such an unpredictable state. Putting her in that kind of situation is just reckless." Robin leaned forward, eye mask narrowed, and practically daring Ryouga to argue against his logic.</p><p>Of course, not being the greatest advocate of logic, Ryouga did just that, baring his fangs. "Throwing her into a seven on one dog pile is reckless! We can't keep hiding her from danger forever; she needs real fights if she's ever going to improve."</p><p>"You're willing to risk Terra's life on this?" There was a dangerous amount of ice in the smaller teen's voice as Robin leaned forward aggressively into Ryouga's personal space.</p><p>Ryouga just looked at him like he was insane. "Of course! Life and death battles are the only way to overcome your limits...   Damnit, if you're not going to let Terra do this, then why the hell am I even training her?"</p><p>A frown creased Robin's face and the Boy Wonder shot Terra a glance out of the corner of his eye mask. He seemed to be struggling with something, for some reason. Frankly, Terra wasn't sure <em>who</em> to root for. Robin still seemed unable to trust her, but at the same time, there was such a thing as too much trust.</p><p>Then, in a baffling move, Robin actually <em>nodded. "</em>Fair enough."</p><p>Ryouga bulled on hotly. "Robin, she needs to learn- wait - <em>what</em>?"</p><p>His sentiment was echoed by a surprised Raven, an incredulous Cyborg, a furious Beast Boy, and a terrified Terra. However, Robin ignored them all, donning a smirk as he regarded the Lost Boy. "You're right, Ryouga. We've been progressing carefully with Terra's training so far. Perhaps it's time to take off the kid gloves."</p><p>Instantly, Ryouga began to swell up, an incredibly smug look spreading over his face-</p><p>"However," Robin cut in sharply, "Not even <em>my </em>mentor was reckless enough to send me into a situation like this on my own."</p><p>It seemed as if Robin was draining the smugness directly from Ryouga, the smirk on the Boy Wonder's face growing at the same rate which the Lost Boy's shrunk. At the same time, Terra felt her own lips curling up into a smile as well.</p><p>"I think it's only fitting that you, as Terra's mentor, should go into the fight with her, to make sure she doesn't get into trouble," Robin explained quite matter-of-factly.</p><p>Terra didn't even wait to hear the wryly sarcastic comment that Raven was doubtlessly mere seconds away from making. The geokinetic girl ran forward eagerly and latched onto the bandanna clad boy's arm like a lifeline. "Yeah, come on, Ryouga! It'll be great: A student and her master fighting against all odds..."</p><p>Terra paused for a moment.</p><p>"Umm, what exactly <em>are</em> the odds again? What the heck is this big lunk signing me up for?"</p><p>Robin smiled knowingly, then gestured to the chemical plant several dozen yards away from their current position. "We've only spotted one intruder so far, though Starfire is scouting ahead to see if that is actually the case. From the rough look we got, it seems to be a robot... Either that or someone in a really big suit. Surely nothing that a <em>master</em> martial artist can't handle."</p><p>Responding to the obvious barb, Ryouga crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at Robin haughtily. "Feh. Obviously, I could handle a weakling like that on my own. However, I won't need to since Terra here doesn't need any help."</p><p>The fanged fighter then spared Terra a brief glance before harrumphing. "Still, for purely <em>observational</em> purposes, it would only make sense for me to go with my prized pupil for... um, observational reasons..."</p><p>Proudly ignoring the amused grins forming on the faces of everyone present, Ryouga then spun tersely, absently dragging Terra around with him. Even as she stumbled to a stop, quickly letting go of his arm and trying to burn a hole through his head with her glare, the master martial artist began to march forward purposefully.</p><p>"Come, Pupil. We have a criminal to capture."</p><p>Only to come up short, as Cyborg was standing right in front of him, holding up a hand to stop them. "Yo, Ryo - um - two things. First, you might wanna wait for Star to get back in case she spots any more people. Second- "Cyborg pointed to something over their shoulders. "The, uh, the ginormous chemical plant is <em>that</em> way."</p><p>It was with a meaty smack that Ryouga slapped his forehead.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The bulky figure moved with surprising grace as he approached the warehouse. The desire, the instinct to just surge forward and tear his way through the fragile wall of the structure pulsed painfully with each step he took, but he suppressed the bestial urges by pure will. He needed to think clearly, or all would be lost.</p><p>Stopping before his first target, he studied the large transformer which supplied power to all the warehouses for several hundred meters in every direction. If he disabled it carefully enough, it would look like little more than a random power outage, likely getting security a bit on edge, but of no real concern to the police.</p><p>Reaching out carefully, the shadowy figure...</p><p>Proceeded to growl furiously and tear the entire damn thing out of the ground before hurling the wildly sparking mass of steel and wire into the distant waters of the Gotham shipping port.</p><p>Immediately, he cursed himself for his foolishness. <em>The Plan! Stick to the plan! </em>It would still take time to investigate, now that the lights had died, plunging the entire district into darkness, but the police would surely be called in when this rather glaring clue was found.</p><p>Time, he didn't have as much time anymore; he needed to hurry - needed to rush. Moving quickly, the figure loped towards the warehouse that housed his goal. With the power to all the security systems cut, all he had to do was subdue any guards that might be present before they could radio for help.</p><p>A simple enough task, and a snack was always welcome - He shook his head to rid it of the distracting thought. Using his razor claws, he climbed the warehouse adjacent to his target as quietly as he could. Once up, he studied his target from his new perch for a moment.</p><p>The sprawling, two story warehouse was solidly built: thin steel walls running between larger support beams with a broad bay of windows running down the entire length of the wall roughly a dozen feet above the ground. With only the light of the moon and the faint glow from the distant heart of Gotham city, the various patches of corrosion which stained the aging structure were difficult to make out, as was the oh-so-inviting skylight adorning the roof.</p><p>Not bothering with a running start, the figure tensed the powerful muscles in his legs and launched himself across the twenty-foot gap between the buildings easily. Landing with a dull thump, he stalked forward to steal a glance through the skylight...</p><p>Nothing but darkness greeted him, the pale moonlight failing to illuminate the cavernous interior. His first instinct was to smash through the fragile glass and loot the place... But something was wrong.</p><p>Where were the flashlights? The guards would have had ample time to get them out, and yet, not a single narrow lance of light cut through the darkness below.</p><p>Cautious now, he carefully opened the skylight, the meager lock snapping off with a metallic 'ping'. Landing easily from the two-story drop, the intruder began to scan the interior of the warehouse intently. His eyes adjusted quickly to the murky darkness, revealing towering stacks of crates sprawled outward as far as the eye could see.</p><p>The only sound he could hear was the rattling '<em>Hssk</em>' of his own breathing. No footsteps, no calls for help, not even a disgruntled string of curses concerning the power outage. Fortunately for him, sight and sound were not the only tools in his repertoire.</p><p>Taking a deep breath, olfactory information from every corner of the structure flowed into him. Slowly, his malformed, discolored lips spread out into an eager smile, revealing a row of raggedly sharp teeth.</p><p>"<em>Hsssk </em>- I know you're in here, girlie," he growled ominously, "Why don't you come out where I can see you?"</p><p>Sure, it wasn't likely to work, but if he could just get the mysterious female to give even a sign-</p><p>A slim figure dropped from the rafters, landing so lightly that he wasn't even sure he would have heard it had his back been turned. That alone confirmed his suspicions on who the strange young woman could be. Stalking forward hungrily, the massive criminal chuckled grimly. "So, the Bat's got himself a new girl scout, does... he?"</p><p>His words died in his throat as he got close enough to see the girl's bright pink hair, cat like eyes and wicked Cheshire grin. "...The hell are you, girlie? Don't tell me Catwoman is recruitin' now, too."</p><p>Instantly, the girl's slitted eyes narrowed, and she leaned forward to irately bark, "I do <em>not</em> have a cat motif!" A second later, she planted her hands on her hips and glared at him heatedly. "And damnit, look what you did! You made me ruin my awesome, badass entrance."</p><p>He could only stare at her, not sure at all what to make of the pretty little thing. The poor girl was rail thin, be lucky if she weighed a hundred pounds soaking wet. Sure, she was a bit odd looking, but compared to him, she could be the cover girl for 'Normal Person' magazine. Whatever mental instability that had caused her to confront him like this, he couldn't be bothered to care.</p><p>"Go away, kid, ya bother me." He shooed her away dismissively as he began to walk past her down the long aisle formed by the towering piles of cargo. He smirked inwardly at the outraged expression on her delicious looking face as he stalked past her, but several seconds later, the sharp sound of someone snapping their fingers rang throughout the warehouse -</p><p>Twin flashes of pink from above were his only warning as suddenly several towers of crates on either side of the aisle suddenly toppled over in his direction. Only heightened reflexes saved him from embarrassment as he leapt backwards mere seconds before hundreds of pounds of engine parts and ladies’ hats could bury him alive.</p><p>Spinning around, he hissed loudly at the strange girl, now perched daintily on the edge of a crate several feet off the ground, her legs crossed demurely before her.</p><p>His eyes narrowed as he regarded her; her unusual scent - an odd mix of strawberry shampoo... old person and - and week-old laundry? - burning itself into his memory. Slowly his lips peeled back to reveal his file sharpened teeth, a low growl rumbling in his throat.</p><p>Rather than tremble in fear at his attempt at intimidation, the pink haired girl simply shook her head sadly from side to side. "...Looks like your luck just changed for the worse... Killer Croc."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ryouga frowned as Terra led them through the labyrinthine structure that was the chemical plant. As far as the eye could see, corroded pipes filled his vision. Horizontal pipes stretching off into the twilight darkness, vertical pipes rising into the sky. On and on it went, forming an endless jungle of ironmongery; cat walks served as footpaths and open vats of unidentifiable liquids swirled around and around ominously, promising that any fall could be your last.</p><p>They were still on the ground floor, having already passed through the outskirts, thankfully, but - "I should be leading us into the fight, not my student," he grumbled to himself.</p><p>Terra quickly turned and shushed him. "Starfire said the guy was near the center of the plant. We should be getting close, so would you stop moping already?" she whispered hotly.</p><p>Trying to vainly cover his moping, Ryouga scoffed, "And how can you be so sure of that?"</p><p>Just as Terra opened her mouth to reply, the horrible squeal of tearing metal filled the air. The horrendous sound was so loud, so grating on the ears, that it couldn't have come from more than fifty feet away.</p><p>His protégé's lips curled up into the smuggest smile that Ryouga had seen this side of the Orient.</p><p>"Oh, shut up," he muttered flatly.</p><p>Rather than press her victory, Terra just turned - a bit more spring in her step than was strictly necessary - and began to move towards the blaring sounds of blatant destruction. After climbing a staircase and traversing a narrow catwalk, they found themselves before one of the proper structures housed within the confines of the steel jungle.</p><p>There was little of the front door left to open, as it looked as if an elephant had just charged through; crumbled concrete and shattered glass scattered everywhere. Taking a few steps beyond the destroyed entrance, though, they found themselves standing in a decidedly generic, sterile looking area which just screamed 'science labs'. Not far down the hall on the left was yet another destroyed doorway, this one a heavy sheet of metal that was quite likely the origin of the earlier ear-splitting sound.</p><p>Terra turned back to glance Ryouga's way again, a mixed look of fear and excitement on her face. "Two bucks says our buddy is in there now," she whispered.</p><p>Ryouga just rolled his eyes. As if he had that kind of money on him... Well, now that he thought about it, he did have that money card, though he hadn't had much chance to use it lately. It was still odd getting used to not being dirt poor.</p><p>"Hey, wait up!" he whispered as he finally noticed that Terra was already moving ahead without him. He caught up to her just as she peeked her head around the shattered doorframe to steal a glance.</p><p>A second later, she pulled back and glared at him furiously. "Are you trying to get us killed?" she spat in a hushed tone. "That guy looks like two Cyborgs jammed together <em>and</em> on steroids!"</p><p>Scoffing quietly, Ryouga gently pushed his student out of the way and peeked for himself. A second later, he pulled back as well to stare at Terra. "It's like a <em>Mecha-Lime</em>!"</p><p>Terra offered him a completely clueless expression</p><p>Shaking his head, he quickly waved off her unspoken inquiry. "Never mind. You're right, though, that guy is huge."</p><p>Taking another look into the room, Ryouga appraised the situation. The room itself was quite large; several ceiling tall cylinders of some green liquid took up the far end of the room, while the rest of the walls were lined with research equipment and - disturbingly - cages upon cages of various lab animals, all crying out wildly in fear.</p><p>"It's a good thing that Beast Boy isn't here," Terra commented quietly, "He would have completely freaked out."</p><p>Standing at the center of the room was their adversary, a large piece of machinery hefted over his head. The... person? stood well over eight feet tall and nearly half that wide of gleaming red steel. Large vents on the chest made it look strangely like the grill of a car, making the large A at the center into an unlikely hood ornament. Were it not for the obviously human face sticking out of the massive mechanical behemoth's head, framed by stubby little antenna looking things, Ryouga would have assumed it was a robot.</p><p>With a grunt, the oversized criminal spiked the machine into the floor hard enough to embed it over a foot into the solid concrete, shattered steel and masonry flying everywhere.</p><p>"<em>Woohoo</em>! This is <em>awesome</em>!"</p><p>To his side, Terra rolled her eyes before whispering. "'Woohoo'? What, is this guy trying to destroy the Eighties?"</p><p>Before he could reply, the robotic terror lifted his leg, servos whining loudly. A second later, the battle suit wearing villain slammed his foot down onto the remains of the machine, burying the twisted metal all the way up to the knee.</p><p>Pulling back again, Ryouga glanced at Terra, who was sporting a perturbed expression. "Well, we can't fight him in there without hurting those animals, and I'd rather fight in an open area," she offered quietly.</p><p>Ryouga nodded; he preferred open areas as well, especially when fighting someone that was almost certainly stronger and slower than him. He considered the situation a moment before nodding to himself. He then gestured back towards the way they had just come in.</p><p>"Alright, you head outside and find a good vantage point. I'll get his attention and draw him outside."</p><p>Terra looked at him dubiously. "How are you gonna do that?"</p><p>Ryouga grinned as he pulled off one of his bandannas. "Don't worry, I have a plan."</p><p>The young geokinetic stared at the yellow and black bandanna dangling from his hand, then up at him. "What are you gonna do? Offer him accessorizing tips?"</p><p>"Just shut up and go already!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>With a soft click and near silent hiss of highly compressed gas, the grappling hook was fired into the darkness above. Several long seconds later, the metallic clatter of steel on concrete signaled that the tool had found purchase. Giving a firm tug to check its hold, he then pressed the retract button. Instantly, the impossibly strong motor in his hand-held launcher whined to life, pulling him up the side of the building at breakneck speed.</p><p>The trail of clues and rumors which he had been following this week had been a bizarre mixture of blatant and subtle. Starting with the explosion at the Iceberg Lounge, which had been impossible to miss, and tapering off to vague rumors of a catty young woman prowling the night.</p><p>He climbed up onto the ledge and began sprinting across the roof, easily clearing the chasm between buildings with a single, expert bound before continuing his run.</p><p>Gaining any further information had been like pulling teeth. Cobblepot had proven more stubborn than usual, insisting that the explosion had been a minor accident with his 'collection'; the whole time smiling like the cat after a delicious meal of canary.</p><p>Another leap landed him on the last tall building before entering the harbor area. A broad street, built to accommodate the cargo laden transports which poured into and out of the harbor, separated him from the huddled masses of warehouses encircling the bay.</p><p>Of course, the Penguin was far from his only source of information. The word on the street, as hushed as it was, was that a fight was brewing. It had taken time, but after determining the identity of one of the would-be brawlers, Oracle had been able to piece together the time and place soon after.</p><p>Apparently, an unknown vigilante was gunning for Killer Croc, and every bookie in town was jockeying for a piece of the action.</p><p>The caped figure frowned as he scanned the horizon for a good vantage point. A free-standing crane, well over two hundred feet tall, was an obvious perch, but would require him to get closer before he could scale it.</p><p>Unfortunately, beyond the fact that the challenger was female, any further attempts he might have made to investigate her identity had been frustrated by a baffling string of... clothing thefts...</p><p>He might - 'might' have drawn a connection between the mysterious girl and the string of thefts, but considering the <em>unique </em>nature of the thefts, it seemed unlikely the culprit would be female. And the startling lack of evidence and improbable difficulty of some of the thefts would normally discount a younger perpetrator.</p><p>Now running across the roof of one of the warehouses, he pulled his grapnel gun again and fired a line up into the intersecting beams of the towering crane above him. Seconds later, he was being lifted - soaring up into the darkness.</p><p>Frankly, the famed detective wasn't sure which alternative was stranger: An improbably skilled girl with a fetish for other women's undergarments, gunning for Killer Croc, or the fact that there could be a completely unknown factor running around his city, who coincidentally arrived right around the time the girl had...</p><p>With a flip, he lifted himself up and onto the crane's long arm and pulled out a set of binoculars to scan the warehouses below. Everything was unusually dark, and it didn't take him long to find the cause, not with all the sparks the shredded base of the transformer station was giving off.</p><p>A sudden thought struck the dark knight with freight train force. It baffled him that he hadn't considered it earlier, quite likely a side effect of the frustrating nature of the panty thefts.</p><p>A young vigilante arrives in town and immediately begins looking for a brawl with one of Gotham's more dangerous residents. At the same time, a string of crimes begins, some of which would require unbelievable skill to accomplish and leaving not a single trace... All of which point to a master of their trade.</p><p>It was rare to see in the world of villainy, possibly why he hadn't considered it before, but he, of all people was intimately familiar with the concept of the mentor and the apprentice.</p><p>Of course, taking that one extra leap of logic lead him to a vaguely worrisome conclusion: If the apprentice was here for her fight, then her master would likely be -</p><p>"So, you must be the infamous Batman I've heard so much about lately."</p><p>It was rare for Batman to be surprised, especially by someone whose proximity he had just anticipated, but even he was amazed at how easily he had been approached. He did his best to school his features before turning around - only for his eyes to widen a fraction of an inch at what he saw.</p><p>The shrunken, withered, abjectly ancient... man?... that stared back at him was bordering on the strange, even for his most incredible definition of the word. Still, he lived up to his reputation, retaining his calm perfectly.</p><p>"The girl's master, I presume?"</p><p>The ancient warrior's eyes widened comically for a moment in response. "What? How did you figure it out so quickly? I made certain to keep as far away from Jinx as possible all week!"</p><p><em>'Actually, you just confirmed my suspicion</em>,' Batman did not say. Rather, he replied in a completely serious tone. "Your... crime spree began the very same night that your apprentice interrogated the Penguin. Considering her aggressive approach to finding a dangerous opponent, and the impressive level of skill demonstrated in some of your heists, it wasn't difficult to theorize a master and student relationship."</p><p>The master nodded sagely. "Well, you certainly live up to your reputation, Detective. I honestly hadn't expected to be impressed by the man responsible for the training of that wastrel, Robin."</p><p>At that, Batman's eyes widened again. How did this person know Robin? And wait, wasn't Jinx one of the young villains who had crossed his old apprentice's path before? For what possible reason would an ancient master be training a nearly unknown villainess? And why did this person seem to know so much about him as well?</p><p>Eyes narrowing suspiciously, Batman regarded his shrunken companion. "I'm afraid that you seem to have me at a bit of a disadvantage."</p><p>Only for the ancient master to burst into laughter. A twinkle of mirth in his eyes, the old man replied:</p><p>"Oh, you have <em>no</em> idea."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The crate exploded into a shower of wooden splinters and geometry sets mere seconds after Jinx dove to the side. Completing a quick handstand - backflip combination - sticking the landing perfectly - the acrobatic villainess turned to smirk at the snarling freak of nature. With a sharp tug, Killer Crop tore his claws out of the shattered box and turned to glare at her.</p><p>"<em>Hssk</em>... I get the feelin' that you're gonna cause me no end of trouble if I toy around with you, ain't ya?"</p><p>Jinx smiled cutely and nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, you have no idea."</p><p>At her admission, Killer Croc nodded to himself. "Hmm, thought so..." Tapping his chin, Croc's eyes narrowed dangerously as he studied her. "Unfortunately for you, Girly, I ain't in the mood to <em>play around</em>!"</p><p>Suddenly, in an unexpected burst of speed, the enormous crocodile man surged forward, his pallid, grey scales almost dissolving into the near pitch blackness surrounding them. Jinx side stepped quickly, only to spin pivot on her left foot and lash out with a devastating spinning back kick to Killer Croc's ribs as he passed.</p><p>A second later, she was stumbling and fighting to regain her balance. She might as well have kicked a scaly brick wall, considering the sting running up her ankle. At the very least, though, her kick did land with enough force to knock Killer Croc off his course to careen into a literal wall of crates.</p><p>Again, wooden crates burst into a wild assortment of random items as Croc spun around, furiously demolishing everything around him as he regained his own footing.</p><p>"Yer getting' on my nerves, Girl!" growled the reptilian criminal. Croc then thrust his arm out to the side, impaling his claws into the side of a metal container. Then, with a mighty swing, launched the improvised missile straight at the juvenile sorceress' face.</p><p>Surprised at her own level of calm, considering the situation, Jinx fell into a backward roll, letting the projectile fly over her harmlessly. Not even waiting until she was on her feet, she landed on her belly and thrust out her arms, snapping her fingers and launching a pair of fiery pink hexes at her prey.</p><p>The first projectile flew shamefully wide, reducing a foot round hole in the distant wall to rust. The second nimbus of power drilled right into Croc's scaly shoulder, bursting into a small flash of pink which spun the much larger villain around and left a nasty scorch mark on what passed for his skin.</p><p>Any celebration the nimble sorceress might have made as she pushed herself up to her feet was drowned out by Killer Croc's bestial cry of rage. Jinx shuddered at the palpable hatred in her opponent's howl as he charged forward again.</p><p>Her mind kicked into overdrive as she bent her knees, the now familiar tingle of her power flowing through her legs giving her some comfort. A second later, she straightened her legs and launched herself straight up; higher than she ever could have hoped to leap before training under Happosai. Her jump carried her easily twenty feet straight up -practically two stories in a single jump! - nearly high enough to grab the lowest of the roof rafters. Below her, tell tale swirls of pink energy danced around the spot she'd just vacated.</p><p>Twisting her body in ways that few beyond a certain pigtailed martial artist could, she managed to change the angle of her flight as she began to fall. Rather than landing right where she'd started, Jinx managed to land gracefully on one of the towering stacks of crates.</p><p>By the time she finally steadied herself, she saw that Killer Croc had already turned around. Even in the darkness she could see the puzzled look on his face as he wondered why she hadn't come back down yet.</p><p>The pink eyed sorceress studied Killer Croc intently for a moment. There were only two other times in recent memory she had felt like this, felt like a tiny mouse toying with a big, hungry cat. The most recent, and infuriating, had been her run in with Shampoo. It had been more than luck that she'd needed to survive that encounter. If Mousse hadn't...</p><p>She shook her head, scowling as the dark memory sparked her desire to hurt someone all over again. As if this whole situation wasn't annoying enough, she didn't need croc/cat parallels to remind her of less proud moments.</p><p>Moving silently, she skipped across the stacks of crates until she reached the far wall, then jumped down. This time, she landed with an audible thump of her thick platform heels hitting the floor. She very much wanted the reptile man to hear her this time. Then, just to put the final nail in the coffin, she lifted her hand and set it ablaze with pink flames.</p><p>She didn't have to wait even a second for the vindictive villain to home in on her. A second after that, Killer Croc was barreling down the warehouse, jaws snapping hungrily with each stride.</p><p>Jinx just smirked, equally vindictive and villainous in her own mind, as she watched him charge. Even as Killer Croc devoured the distance between them like a pound of mackerel, the young sorceress ever so subtly reached behind her back with her free hand. Her fingers gently wrapped around the smooth wood of the object tucked into her belt, bringing an even wider smile to her lips.</p><p>And then the beast was upon her.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Batman studied the tiny old man, not exactly certain how to proceed. It wasn't that uncommon for him to have no information on a new criminal, and as far as the evidence indicated, he was nothing more than a very skilled, very eccentric cat burglar...</p><p>And yet, every instinct of the famed Dark Knight, every fiber of his being told him that this decrepit figure was dangerous. How dangerous? Who could say? Everything about the old man, from the way he moved, the way he breathed, and something beyond that that he couldn't quite put his finger on, all reminded the bat of the many masters he had met in his own training.</p><p>It was somewhat unsettling, not knowing, but at the same time, he'd faced up to so much worse in his life that it wasn't about to stop him from doing what needed to be done.</p><p>"Who are you?" he finally asked, "What's your game here, in Gotham?"</p><p>The old man eyed him for a moment, and Batman could feel himself being weighed, before shrugging absently and pulling a pipe from behind his back. The ancient warrior then made himself comfortable on the crane and casually lit his pipe before replying.</p><p>"The name's Happosai, Detective. Grand Master of the Anything Goes School of Indiscriminate Grappling." Happosai's eyes lit up with mischief. "Actually, I'm a bit surprised you don't already know that. Considering that an... associate of mine has gotten onto that Robin boy's team, one wonders how you could be surprised."</p><p>It was a close thing, but Batman didn't sigh in regret at the thought of his old apprentice. "We... don't have much communication any longer. We both believe it's better for him to develop on his own now."</p><p>The grand master nodded sagely, a tinge of sympathy in his expression. "It is always bittersweet when a disciple feels they've outgrown you. Luckily for me, it will be many, many years before my newest disciple reaches that point! Of course, I guess that does answer your second question, doesn't it? My disciple needed to be tested on her training and since our last training trip... didn't go quite as planned, well, here we are, lost in this well-known hive of scum and villainy."</p><p>Batman was quite certain he had just been insulted twice by the shrunken little man but decided to let it slide. "And the reason you've targeted Killer Croc?"</p><p>A simple shrug. "Convenience. I was a little disappointed myself. I've heard this city offers a generous selection of beautiful ladies in need of... moral guidance."</p><p>The leer with which that was said almost made the detective want to give Catwoman a heads up.</p><p>"And what exactly is the end goal of this 'test'? What happens to Killer Croc?"</p><p>"Ahh, and we finally get to the crux of the matter," Happosai responded with a smirk. "Are we vindictive villains, or valiant vigilantes? Well, you'll have to wait on the answer for that one for now, but if it makes you feel any better, Jinx isn't planning on killing him, so you can have him once she's done with him."</p><p>And the old man had been right, that was the heart of the situation. It had been the difference between Batman intervening and doing his best to bring this pair to justice... Or not. Turning to look at the warehouse so far below them, Batman could see unusual flashes of pink lighting up the darkened windows.</p><p>"We should move closer;" he finally offered matter-of-factly.</p><p>Happosai shook his head slowly. "That won't be necessary, Detective. Jinx won't be defeated by the likes of him, she has quite a few tricks up her sleeves yet-"</p><p>The piercing squeal of steel shredding instantly drew the pair's attention down to where, quite unexpectedly, the wall of the warehouse suddenly bulged obscenely, only to explode outward - ejecting a large grey mass into the street.</p><p>Batman watched, suddenly intrigued, as the diminutive form of a young woman stepped out through the gaping hole in the wall a few moments later, twirling what looked to be a long antique... Tobacco pipe? He had to double check with his binoculars just to be sure.</p><p>An amused chuckle came from his side. "<em>I </em>taught her that one. One of my favorites, ya see?"</p><p>One of the detective's eyebrows rose, though the expression was lost on Happosai, before he turned his attention back to Jinx. The girl seemed quite happy with herself, now holding the pipe proudly... for a moment anyway. Her joy disintegrated just as quickly as the pipe did, as sparks of pink energy ran along its surface, reducing it to dust in her hands.</p><p>Happosai grunted in annoyance before shrugging. "Okay, fine, she hasn't perfected it yet. Her power is just naturally entropic, which kinda makes it hard for her to use it to reinforce things... But I'm sure we'll figure out that tiny little problem with a bit more training, you'll see! No need to worry!"</p><p>Oddly, Batman found that assurance to be most worrisome indeed.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Moving quickly, Terra climbed up onto the pipe and knelt to steady herself. Her new perch gave her a good vantage of the lab building that Ryouga was in, and she was only a stone's throw away...</p><p>The geokinetic stuck her tongue out at the cheesiness of her own pun.</p><p>Of course, now that she was perfectly situated and the adrenaline of rushing around was wearing off, an important question suddenly reared its head.</p><p>How in the world was Ryouga going to lead anyone, anywhere?</p><p>Uncertainty gripped her as she stared at the building. Should she leave her perch? Should she go back in? Could Ryouga have already made it back to the Tower in the time he'd been out of her sight?</p><p>...It <em>seemed </em>unlikely...</p><p>What if-</p><p>A muffled shout caught her attention mere seconds before an explosion rocked the area. Apparently, the front doors weren't convenient enough, as Ryouga surged out of the large hole he'd just blasted and... was holding something?</p><p>She didn't get a chance to find out as, a second after exiting the hole, the Lost Boy immediately lived up to his name and began running in the exact opposite direction from where she was waiting.</p><p>"Ryouga! Get back here!"</p><p>Thankfully, the bandanna wearing boy skidded to a stop, but her view of him was suddenly blocked by the massive red wall of steel that barged out of the building, doubling the size of the hole in a shower of powdered concrete, and flying debris. The metal giant skidded to a stop and turned on Ryouga with an infuriated grunt.</p><p>It took Terra a second to recover from the shock of the unexpected entrances before she realized the opportunity which had been presented her: Her opponent currently had his back to her and was totally unaware of her presence.</p><p>Grinning wildly, the slight girl leapt down from her perch, landing lightly on the floor, and lifted her hands to her sides. The earth heard her plea and answered in force. In a shower of shattered concrete, the floor on either side of the mechanical jerk exploded upwards violently, twin pillars of earth and stone surging up to freedom.</p><p>Terra then swung her arms forward and clapped her hands together; the columns followed suit eagerly and came crashing together to engulf the criminal. Not even sure why she did it, the geokinetic then continued to squeeze her hands together, only to watch in amazement as the dirt and rock collapsed in on itself as it compacted down around her quarry.</p><p>"Alright!" she cheered enthusiastically. "I did it, Ryouga! I caught him!" The slight blonde pumped her fist into the air as she marveled over the stony tomb she'd erected so perfectly-</p><p>"Terra, get back!"</p><p>The warning came a second too late; as abruptly as she'd made it, the column exploded, blasting dense slabs of stone in every direction. On instinct, Terra let out a tiny yelp, squeezed her eyes shut, and threw her arms out in front of her...</p><p>A few seconds later, realizing that she wasn't in crippling pain, Terra mustered the courage to open her eyes, only to groan in disgust at the predictable sight of several sharp looking rocks floating harmlessly before her.</p><p>Why had she freaked out again?</p><p>The stones dropped to the floor with a clatter as the geokinetic hero turned her attention back to the tin-plated villain - who appeared to be flexing as if the suit was composed of muscles or something. She flinched, though, when he suddenly spun around to leer at her, his fleshy face twisted mockingly.</p><p>"Did you think you could hold <em>Adonis</em>?" The giant man looked down at her appraisingly, only to snort derisively. "Who the heck are you, anyway? Anorexia girl? I came out here to play with Titans, not kittens."</p><p>In an instant, Terra's cheeks flushed red as she glared white hot daggers at Adonis. "Anorexia Girl? <em>Anorexia Girl?"</em></p><p>Terra's whole world shifted several wavelengths down the spectrum towards gold as her eyes began to glow ominously with her power.</p><p>Had she been in a better state of mind, she might have admired this guy's level of confidence. As it was, though, she wasn't in such a forgiving mood when Adonis, completely oblivious to Ryouga's frantic hand gestures signaling him to shut up, as well as the low-grade tremors beginning to rattle the entire facility to its foundations, began to laugh mockingly before saying-</p><p>"Hey, Twig Girl, why don't you come back when you actually grow a pai-</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The tremor passed under their feet just a second before the massive dust plume rose from the heart of the plant several hundred yards away. The massive column of dust twisted and swelled upwards before finally losing its hopeless battle with gravity, and began collapsing inexorably back in upon itself...</p><p>Raven turned to stare at Robin.</p><p>"That's... not a <em>good</em> sign."</p><p>Robin nodded slowly as he lifted his communicator and flipped it open. "Starfire, report. What's going on in there?"</p><p>Several long seconds passed before the Tamaranean responded -</p><p>With a series of hacking coughs.</p><p>"<em>Ackies! </em>Please stop with the flying of the particulates into my eyes!"</p><p>The screen, which was completely filled with the brown and grays of dust and powdered concrete, finally began to clear as Starfire frantically swiped away at the cloud with her hand.</p><p>Robin did his best to hide a smile at the endearing display. "Starfire, are you alright?"</p><p>"<em>Cough-hack</em> I am unharmed, Robin. Apparently, my altitude was not sufficient while watching our friends."</p><p>The masked hero bit back a chuckle. "Understood. Can you tell me what just happened?"</p><p>Starfire's gaze turned away from the communicator and her eyes squinted cutely as she tried vainly to look down through the tower of dust. "...Unfortunately, visibility from my vantage point has been reduced to zero. Perhaps friend Beast Boy can see more from his position?"</p><p>Robin nodded sharply in agreement. "Alright. Keep me posted if it looks like Terra might lose control, though."</p><p>A saddened look flashed across the Tamaranean's face before she nodded. "Agreed."</p><p>The communicator flickered to black for a moment before the image was quickly replaced with Beast Boy's smiling face.</p><p>"Report, Beast Boy. What happened in there?"</p><p>The emerald teen's first response was to laugh out loud. "Only the best thing ever! That lame-o they're fighting just totally dissed Terra about her looks - which is just crazy, by the way, since she's the best looking girl there is-"</p><p>It was only thanks to years of emotional repression that Robin was able to hold in his mirth as Raven's eyebrow quirked up in that 'oh really?' way of hers.</p><p>"So, Terra smacked him down - <em>hard</em>! Dude totally had it coming, man."</p><p>"Is there any sign she's losing control?" Robin asked pointedly.</p><p>Instantly, Beast Boy's gleeful expression was devoured by a pack of wild scowls. "Dude, that's so not cool. Terra's doin perfect. Heck, if she hadn't clobbered him, I would have. Beast Boy out, <em>Dude</em>!"</p><p>Robin stared at the blank screen uncertainly for a moment before finally pocketing the communicator. To his side, Raven just shook her head. "It was a mistake to send those two in. You know how loyal Beast Boy and Starfire are to their friends, and yet here you are, asking them to spy on Terra for you."</p><p>"That's not what I'm doing," Robin retorted sharply, "They're there as backup in case anything should go wrong. It's just that... well... Terra might be one of those things that goes wrong..."</p><p>It felt terrible to say, but it didn't make it any less true. Of course, judging by the expression on the violet eyed Titan's face, she likely wasn't about to let it drop that easily. So, it was time to borrow a secret technique he'd recently learned. "I need to help Cyborg set up the Sonic Impactor. You stay here and call us if anything comes up."</p><p>Raven's eyebrow quirked up again as she impassively regarded his retreat, but, like a good team player, she stood her ground and turned her attention back to the distant facility.</p><p>Once Robin was gone, an uncharacteristic line of worry crossed Raven's face.</p><p>"Be safe... Ryouga."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Terra blushed sheepishly as Ryouga glared down at her. It wouldn't have been too bad, but the tiny pink piglet held protectively in his arms seemed to be matching his scowl perfectly-</p><p>Wait a minute!</p><p>"Ryouga, why the heck do you have a piglet?"</p><p>Instantly, Ryouga's glare faltered and he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, it's just that she looked like an old friend is all... I couldn't just leave her in there..."</p><p>Before she even had a chance to ask how Ryouga could possibly know it was a girl pig, the fanged fighter quickly put the animal down and shooed it away from the fight. The oddly bittersweet look on his face as he watched the pig run away was bizarre, even by her standards...</p><p>Though even that was nothing compared to the fact that the piglet looked back at him before finally running off.</p><p>Then, like a switch, Ryouga turned back on her. "Let us never speak of this again. <em>Now, </em>what the heck was <em>that </em>all about, little miss rock bottom?"</p><p>Terra had no idea how to respond to that particular barb as Ryouga gestured to the fifteen-foot-tall pillar of stone which had erupted so fiercely out of the shattered concrete, suspiciously close to the exact position where Adonis had been standing moments ago.</p><p>The blonde Titan stared at her handiwork, then far up into the pipe works above, just barely able to make out where the cherry red villain had landed after his impromptu flight. Terra offered her mentor a mighty pout before responding.</p><p>"You heard what that jerk said. He's lucky that's all I did."</p><p>For some reason, Ryouga stared at her oddly and muttered something that sounded strangely like 'fit right in at home'. The bandanna clad warrior then shook his head. "Never mind that. Now we gotta go up there and get him. Do you know how you're gonna do that?"</p><p>Terra waved off his concern with a nonchalant roll of her wrist. "Don't be such a pessimist. That moron will be back down any second and we'll pound-"</p><p>"Hey! Rocks for Brains! Let's s see how many of your fancy dirt tricks you can pull way up here!"</p><p>"...crap..."</p><p>Ryouga's snigger was extremely grating, so Terra drove a narrow elbow into his gut.</p><p>"Oof! Hey, what was that for?"</p><p>Terra glared daggers at her master. "As if you didn't know. Now come on, let's go get him already."</p><p>With that, the geokinetic willed a section of infrastructure to break free from its earthen bonds and carry her aloft... for all of five feet. Terra frowned before bending her knees and willing the rock to fly again - the result being a sad little 'hop'.</p><p>Panic began to bloom in her chest as she spun to her mentor. "Ryouga! Something's wrong with my powers!"</p><p>A frown creased the fanged boy's face and he let out a sharp curse. "Damnit. I'd kinda been hoping that Raven would be wrong about that." Ryouga then raised his hands in a calming gesture. "Look, there isn't time to explain, but don't panic. That's just a side effect of your training. You just have to work around it for now, okay?"</p><p>"Okay? <em>This is the opposite of okay</em>!" She gestured wildly to the metal monstrosity several stories above them. "How am I supposed to fight him way up there if I can't fly? And for that matter, how else has your training messed up my powers?"</p><p>A serious expression settled on Ryouga's face and he suddenly moved towards her. Terra was immediately reminded of how much larger he was than her when he stopped a single step before her and dropped a pair of comforting hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Terra. I should have told you this was a possible side effect. But as far as I know, it's just a psyc- a psychonema... Um, just a mental block, and I promise it's only temporary."</p><p>Ryouga took a step back then and smiled weakly. "I know it might be difficult, but you're going to need to think of other ways to do what you need now. Look, I'll go make sure he doesn't get away. If you can't think of a way to follow, I'll bring him back down here, okay?"</p><p>And with that, Ryouga bent his knees and proceeded to launch himself over three stories straight up to land nimbly on one of the wide pipelines that ran throughout the facility.</p><p>"Show off," Terra muttered to herself enviously. She was still mad at him, too, for not telling her about her powers getting messed up... but at least he had apologized. Still, it wasn't like she could just launch herself into the air like a cannon ball-</p><p>A sly grin slithered onto Terra's tanned lips.</p><p>Of course, if she was gonna fight that far from the ground, she might need to take some ammo with her. Drawing inspiration from a certain girl in a certain 'inspirational video', Terra leaned down and touched a gloved fingertip to the shattered ground at her feet.</p><p>Moving as if alive, a sinuous tendril of earth and stone flowed up her arm, across her shoulder and down her other arm, making it look like she was wearing the world's heaviest feather boa. Or, perhaps an actual boa, as the serpent of earth twitched and undulated along its length.</p><p>Quite happy with her little improvisation, Terra then stamped her foot onto the hard ground. The instant her foot hit, a stone pillar shot up right beneath her. The sudden acceleration was jarring, but the stone boa running down the back of her arms responded on instinct, stretching down to the platform to stabilize her.</p><p>And then the platform's breakneck rise stopped as quickly as it began, and Terra found herself airborne. The sensation of weightlessness was new and unexpected as she floated through the air, so vastly different from her normal means of flight. A yellow and green blur zipped past her, or rather her past it, as she soared past Ryouga on her way up.</p><p>Eventually, though, the familiar tug of gravity made itself known once more as she reached the apogee of her leap. The blonde felt her stomach leap up into her throat as she realized that she was beginning to fall now - and that she totally hadn't thought of a landing solution when she'd jumped.</p><p>Luckily, she had lots of friends to learn from, so her panic lasted only a few seconds before inspiration struck again. Terra swung her arm out and like a faithful companion, the earth wrapped around her arm stretched out and latched onto a nearby catwalk and quickly reeled her to safety.</p><p>Breathing heavily and shaking more than a bit, Terra pulled herself up on the catwalk. The relief of having solid ground under her again, relatively speaking, was a palpable thing...</p><p>Still, overall, the only problem she could find with her new rapid transit system, asides from the bone numbing terror, was that she had overshot not only Ryouga, but Adonis as well. While Ryouga was some ways down and the ground was little more than a black abyss now, she was sure she'd seen the red goon pass her by just a second before she'd started to descend.</p><p>She quickly leaned over the railing, just in time to see Adonis recklessly tear a massive circular safety hatch off a large, cylindrical structure, and wind up to throw it at the rapidly approaching martial artist below.</p><p>"Ryouga, lo-"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"-ok out, you moron!"</p><p>Moving as fast as her legs would carry her, Jinx dove at the idiot security guard and tackled him to the ground just a second before the manhole cover would have taken his head right off. Why this jackass - Ray, if his nametag were to be believed - had decided to run to her aid, as opposed to away, like the rest of the small group of guards had, she would never understand.</p><p>Making sure that there wasn't even a trace of a smile on Ray's face at having her straddling him like she was, the irate sorceress quickly rose to her feet. She then pulled the inept guard to his feet with a sharp tug and blasted him with a withering glare. "Idiot, what are you doing? It wasn't even your warehouse we trashed!"</p><p>Looking pale, but trying to hide it, the twenty something guy brushed off his uniform. "Maybe so, but what kind of guy would I be if I ran from every crazed, man-eating crocodile monster I ran into?"</p><p>Jinx couldn't help it as a tiny laugh bubbled to the surface. "Jeez, I dunno... alive?" she shot back. She then turned to watch Killer Croc, the massive criminal already stalking towards them, vile, pink tongue rolling over his lips as he eyed the pair of them. Apparently just for added effect, Croc spread out his hands, letting his long, wicked claws glint in the moonlight.</p><p>Taking a step back, the sorceress reached back and tried to push the guard away. "Okay, Mr. Hero, time to stop being an idiot and get out of here."</p><p>She felt her hand contact his chest, but he didn't budge. "I can't do that, Miss. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I left you at the mercy of that scaly bastard."</p><p>Jinx rolled her eyes in disgust. "You won't live at all if you stay. I'm not gonna get myself killed just to keep you outta trouble."</p><p>Apparently trying to prove a point, Ray pulled out both his nightstick and a nasty looking taser, grinning nervously as he brandished them. "Well, unfortunately for you, I'm not going anywhere. So instead of complaining, you should be figuring out how we can beat this guy."</p><p>The sorceress' brow furrowed as she turned back to glare at Killer Croc, now just a dozen feet away. She could already see his muscles tensing in anticipation of another charge. What the heck was she gonna do? Sure, she could dodge easily enough, but if she did, Ray would be reduced to paste...</p><p>If she didn't, they'd <em>both</em> be paste.</p><p>How on earth did Raven and her moronic friends deal with brain dead idiots like this? Was it bad form to blast civilians?</p><p>A strange 'zipping' kind of sound from behind distracted the sorceress. Shaking her head, she turned to yell at Ray one last time. "Okay, that's it. Get the hell out... of... here?"</p><p>Only to find the space behind her vacant.</p><p>"Why that two faced, cowardly - <em>Urk</em>!"</p><p>The big, meaty fist slamming into her back brought her back into the moment with ruthless efficiency. It also had the added bonus of launching her through the air. Twisting wildly, she managed a halfway controlled bounce off her hip before a nearby lamp post was kind enough to stop her flight with a metallic 'clong'.</p><p>Fortunately, or unfortunately, she'd trained for just that kind of thing, so Jinx was able to scramble to her feet quickly, managing to suppress the sharp ache that ran up her entire back.</p><p>Sadly, she'd been forced to give up any pretence of caring for her 'flawless skin' long ago.</p><p>Of course, even with her quick reaction, there was no way she'd been fast enough. Killer Croc was likely right over... There? Still standing where he'd been when he'd clobbered her, the scaled criminal was staring warily up to the rooftops, rather than charging to eviscerate her.</p><p>Slowly, Croc turned to regard her. "<em>Hssk</em> Looks like I wasn't too far off, eh girlie? It's not like your boss to hide up there and leave everything to his sidekick... But I ain't the kinda guy to look a gift horse in the mouth. Once I've turned you inside out, I'll deal with him."</p><p>Jinx felt her jaw drop open in utter confusion. What was this guy talking about? Was he talking about Happi? But how would this walking pile of potential Prada purses know anything about her perverted practitioner of peerless pummeling?</p><p>She doubted she'd get a straight answer, though, not when she took into consideration the small car that Croc was currently lifting over his head to toss at her.</p><p>"Oh, frak m-"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"-e go, you crazy freaks!" cried the inverted security guard from where they'd so carefully hung him up. "That girl's gonna get herself killed. I gotta help her!"</p><p>Happosai scoffed at that notion - loudly. "Fool boy, you'd do nothing but get in Jinx's way. Now quiet down so we can watch the fight." He then turned and nodded to his pointy eared companion. "Good job getting this punk out of there, Detective."</p><p>Batman nodded seriously as he gazed over the ledge of the warehouse that now served as their perch. "I've dealt with overzealous novices before... I am somewhat impressed, though. Your apprentice realized he would endanger them both, and yet she didn't abandon him."</p><p>Happi frowned at that. "Indeed. She's not usually that foolish. I'll have to redouble my efforts to make sure those kinds of ridiculous notions don't take root in her impressionable young mind."</p><p>"<em>Hey</em>! I'm right here, you know? And seriously, are you guys actually accusing <em>me</em> of being overzealous? Talk about the crazy bat-dressing pot calling the kettle bla-"</p><p>Abruptly, the Ray's voice cut off as Happi's arm shot out, tapping several points in the guard's neck, rendering him instantly insensate. The ancient master noted the Batman's tiny nod of thanks, only to smile in return.</p><p>"Well, now that <em>that</em> annoyance is dealt with, all we need to do-"</p><p>The withered pervert stopped mid sentence when Batman held up a hand to silence him. Looking up curiously for a moment, the Dark Knight frowned in consternation. "...Helicopters - coming this way."</p><p>With a wry chuckle, Happi smiled wider. "Ah, those are probably just news choppers."</p><p>"News helicopters?" Batman echoed, "But as far as anyone could know, this is just a black out. And even so, there's no way they could have responded this quickly if that is what they were coming to report on."</p><p>Happosai shrugged helplessly. "Well, it's possible that someone might have phoned in an anonymous tip on a potential meta human brawl earlier this morning. Nothing much to worry about, really."</p><p>"You do realize-" stated the masked man leadingly, "That if the news stations were alerted to this, then the police would have been alerted as well?"</p><p>The master stared at the detective, wide eyed. "B-but what about reporter-reportee confidentiality?"</p><p>As if on cue, the distant sound of sirens began to filter in from the distance.</p><p>Batman's lip quirked up into a rare smirk. "Does that answer your question?"</p><p>Letting out a string of curses in a string of dialects, Happosai leapt up onto the ledge.</p><p>"Don't go anywhere, I'll be right ba-"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"-ck is killing me, you scaly jerk!" Jinx cried out irately as she flipped to her feet.</p><p>The smoldering remains of the car, now firmly lodged in the wall of the building behind her had annoyingly refused to explode dramatically when she'd tried to blast it out of the air with her hexes. Rather, all she'd managed to do was cause the gas tank to ignite, which resulted in her not just having to jump out of the way of a flying car, but a flaming, flying car.</p><p>Gingerly rubbing her back, Jinx glared heatedly at her opponent before dropping into a combat stance. Her right leg leading, knee slightly bent, and her arms held straight out to her sides, fingers pointed straight down, she brought her focus down to a narrow point as she concentrated on just how much she wanted to maim the oversized toilet lizard in front of her.</p><p>Killer Croc let out a bellow of challenge, brandishing his claws as he took a step forward; his footfall heavy enough that she could feel the vibration from a dozen feet away.</p><p>Narrowing her eyes, Jinx's world took on a pinkish hue as she felt her eyes begin to glow with power.</p><p>"Kitty's got claws too, big boy. Let's see whose are sharper."</p><p>With twin flashes of light, arcs of power coursed down her arms, threatening to shred the sleeves of her dress, before coalescing along the backs of her hands. Jinx then flipped her hands back and splayed out her fingers, and the pooled power poured down her fingers to form the familiar jets of deadly pink flame to dance from her fingertips.</p><p>Killer Croc eyed her for a moment, before letting out an amused snort. "Heh, I'm sure <em>you</em> of all people know what curiosity did to the cat. Now let's you and me dance, little girl."</p><p>Jinx cursed internally at the cat-based allusion, before grunting in annoyance. When she was done, he'd never make another feline pun again.</p><p>Crouching down, the sorceress then launched herself forward. The ground behind her collapsed in on itself as residual swirls of pink energy ate away at it, but Jinx didn't have time to notice as she sprinted forward to meet Killer Croc's charge.</p><p>The pair of them ate up the space between them like gourmet cuisine and in seconds they collided. Croc struck first, bringing his taloned hand forward in a deadly swipe, even as he ran.</p><p>Moving with inhuman speed and grace, Jinx crouched down several feet away from him, her momentum causing her to slide directly under his swing. Even as her cute purple pumps skidded across the pavement, Jinx smiled up at the surprised reptile as she slid literally under his guard. Then, just before she would have slammed into his immense bulk, the vindictive sorceress straightened her legs and launched herself into a vicious pounce, all ten claws arrowing in towards Killer Croc's vile yellow eyes.</p><p>Not quite as slow as she'd hoped, the scaly criminal leaned backwards frantically. Jinx cursed as her claws slid harmlessly through the air where his face had been, but instantly began to bring her arms down to guard against his lethal claws even as she floated upwards in the air-</p><p>So, she was caught completely off guard when Croc simply leaned forward again and slammed his painfully dense cranium into her chest with crushing force.</p><p>Jinx angled into the ground with bone jarring force, but quickly bounced back to her feet. Luckily, she fought the urge to rub her aching chest as she'd managed to keep enough focus to keep her claws burning.</p><p>Coughing a bit, Jinx hawked a very unladylike loogie onto the ground beside her, noticing a few streaks of red laced through her saliva. "Heh, I guess that head of yours is good for something after all," she muttered mockingly.</p><p>Croc nodded, a wicked smile forming on his lips. "Oh, it gets better than that. Ye'see this?" he asked sarcastically, pointing to his gaping maw, "Food goes in here... Nice to meet ya, Food."</p><p>Rolling her eyes, the cat eyed sorceress moaned internally. 'I did not just get out quipped by a guy with the brain of a walnut, did I?' Shaking her head in disgust, she lifted her hands up again. "Alright, how about round two then?"</p><p>The second the words dropped from her lips; Jinx threw herself at Killer Croc again. This time the big guy lifted his leg and kicked out at her, obviously trying to throw her off, considering how sloppy the kick was and how he was telegraphing that left hand hidden behind his back.</p><p>Planting her right foot, she swung herself around the kick, swinging her arms out in a wide arc as she did. She felt the tips of her fingers graze the leg of his pants but couldn’t put any force behind the strike as she was already bending backwards to avoid the haymaker that was already on its way.</p><p>A hiss of pain was quickly drowned out by the cracking of the air as Croc's fist flew over her with less than an inch to spare. The second the grey blur passed over her, she landed on her hands and backflipped to a safe distance before jumping right back in.</p><p>Pirouetting through the air, she left trailing streamers of neon pink tracing through the air as she closed in. And then she was on him, lashing out wildly with hissing slashes. Croc obviously hadn't expected such a direct attack, as the much larger criminal began to quickly back peddle, holding his hands up to protect his face.</p><p>She felt her claws hit home again and again, scratching his arms, grazing his torso, deflecting off his chin on a particularly nasty uppercut, until, finally, she was forced to back off, chest heaving from the exertion.</p><p>A second later, the tables turned completely. Killer Croc surged forward like a wave, arms wide and jaws slavering. The scaled behemoth swung his arms forward, intent to sweep her up in an excruciatingly undesired bear hug.</p><p>Jinx quickly dove to the side, wincing as she rolled across the pavement before springing back up to her feet - just in time to fall flat to her face as Killer Croc skidded to a stop and swung at her with a vicious backhand. His superior reach wasn't something she'd really had a chance to train against, and it was getting annoying...</p><p>Even as Jinx scrambled back to her feet, her scaly nemesis spun around with more grace than he really had any right to. Not sure what else to do, she just broke into a dead run straight forward.</p><p>The light 'clip clop' of her pumps was an interesting counterpoint to the loud stomping noise that followed closely behind her as she sprinted blindly across the street.</p><p>What to do... what to do?</p><p>Inspiration slammed into her like a concrete wall, though slightly less painful and slightly more practical. As she finished crossing the street, the side sidewalk signaled her that her frantic run was mere yards away from ending painfully splattered against a wall -</p><p>So, Jinx just ran straight up the wall instead. Feet moving as fast as her muscles would allow, she milked every iota of friction out of the soles of her shoes and with each step, left the ground that much further behind. Then, just as she felt Killer Croc slam heavily into the wall beneath her, she kicked off as hard as she could, performing a graceful midair spin.</p><p>Landing several yards behind the bewildered beast, Jinx quickly gathered brilliant pink energy into her hands. "Ha! You'll have to do better than that if you want to catch me!"</p><p>Croc turned to regard her, fury in his eyes and body nearly trembling with rage barely contained...</p><p>And then the massive criminal suddenly took a long, deep breath... and calmed down? A large smile slithered across his lips as he sneered down at her.</p><p>"Is that so, girlie? Looks to me like you're already winded, but me? I'm not even breakin' a sweat yet," he declared confidently. Taking a moment to study her more carefully, Croc then followed with a mocking laugh. "Face it, kid, you might be quick, but you just don't got what it takes to put me down."</p><p>Jinx scoffed loudly. "Really? Then why don't you try these on for size?"</p><p>Moving her hands quickly, Jinx then proceeded to fire off a few sizzling pink hexes, each one flying unerringly towards the scaly monster -</p><p>Who proceeded to just stand there and take it as the small nimbus' of light slammed into him. Jinx could only stare incredulously as Killer Croc scarcely even winced as the six shots hit across his torso. Each hex didn't seem to do much more than nudge him back a bit and leave a small scorch mark and an acrid puff of smoke.</p><p>Killer Croc just laughed again. "Ha! See that, kid? You're all flash, no bang. You could blast me with those firecrackers all night and one bottle of suntan lotion later, I'd be fine. <em>Hssk... </em>Me, on the other hand... All I need is one clean shot on you and it's over. Now tell me, girlie, you thinking twice about runnin' away yet?"</p><p>Dark emotions, long absent, but intimately familiar, began to bubble up in the sorceress' mind as she glared at the scaled monstrosity. She felt power begin to build up in her belly - she wouldn't let herself be insulted by this - this <em>circus freak </em>- she'd...</p><p>Almost against her will, a tiny smile suddenly crawled its way on to her lips.</p><p>Yeah... that could work, this guy wasn't <em>that</em> strong...</p><p>"Is that so?" she asked in a teasing tone. "Just one good hit is all you need, is it?"</p><p>Croc eyed her strangely at the sudden change in her disposition.</p><p>Jinx's smile only grew wider as she dropped out of her fighting stance completely. She even thumped a fist to her chest in a taunting gesture. "Alright then, give me your best shot. Right here, ya big scaly bastard, show me what you got."</p><p>Croc could only stare at her. "...huh?"</p><p>"Heh, you heard me, big guy. Just walk yer ugly mug over here and start swinging." To emphasize her point, Jinx held her arms out wide to her sides.</p><p>Oh, he was gonna love this...</p><p>Still not looking too sure about what was going on, Killer Croc took an uncertain step forward, then another. With each step, she could see his confidence grow and his pace quicken in anticipation. Then he drew back one of his large, scaled fists as he took another lumbering step.</p><p>Jinx slid her left leg back slightly as Croc closed in, taking a deep breath...</p><p>Killer Croc's fist tore through the air with cruel abandon, aimed directly at her pretty face, mere seconds away from crushing her skull to powder...</p><p>Jinx smirked.</p><p>In a flash of movement, the sorceress's arm swung forward, her dainty fist set perfectly to intercept the devastating punch in what could only end very messily -</p><p>And then Jinx stuck out her finger.</p><p>Despite every law of nature demanding that the slim sorceress be crushed to a pulp... Killer Croc's fist stopped dead in its tracks, resting against the single outstretched digit, as still as death.</p><p>Even as Croc stared, absolutely flabbergasted, a ripple of pink energy ran over her hand, across her wrist, before flowing down her arm, crackled down her torso, then finally raced down her legs before spreading out into the ground in several concentric waves of pink and fading away.</p><p>Noting that her scaled opponent had been struck utterly speechless, Jinx couldn't help herself.</p><p>"So... What was that about 'only needing one hit'? I'm just getting started, Croc, and you are <em>so</em> going..."</p><p>'<em>Crick</em>'</p><p>"...down?"</p><p>As one, both Jinx and Killer Croc looked down as another sharp '<em>crack'</em> echoed through the air. A quick glance revealed several deep cracks spreading through the pavement beneath their feet, spreading outwards at a disturbing speed.</p><p>"Oh crap..."</p><p>A second later, the street below them collapsed completely -</p><p>And then the darkness consumed them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ryouga landed lightly on the catwalk before launching himself into the air again. The dull grays of steel and dark browns of corrosion flew past him at breakneck speed as he ascended through the claustrophobic jumble of ironmongery and pipe work which composed the factory - only to do a double-take when he saw a yellow and black blur suddenly shoot up past him. Unfortunately, his own flight path prevented him from following Terra's rapid trajectory, which worried him even more.</p><p>He landed again, swinging his arms out quickly to balance himself on a treacherously narrow pipe. A quick look up revealed the large crimson frame of Adonis perched on a catwalk which encircled one of the massive towers that rose through the heart of the facility. It also revealed Terra's suicidal ascent coming to its apogee.</p><p>"Crap." he muttered to himself.</p><p>Ducking into a low crouch, Ryouga fired himself skyward with all his strength; the metal piping beneath his feet bursting apart is a spray of green goo from the force. He kicked off the wall of the tower, arrowing further into the air, then grabbed a handful of cables and swung a full revolution around to pick up momentum before throwing himself recklessly towards his target.</p><p>He landed on a large tube which hung in the broad gulf between two of the large towers, only a few stories away from Adonis - only to nearly lose his footing. Twisting frantically to regain his balance, a quick glance down revealed his problem: green goo was liquefying the soles of his shoes!</p><p>"Ryouga, look out!"</p><p>The lost boy's head snapped up at the warning, just in time to see Adonis winding up to hurl a circular slab of metal at him. With a loud grunt of effort, the mammoth criminal swung forward and launched the oversized discus with such power that it cracked the sound barrier with its passage.</p><p>Ryouga's eyes widened and he tried to move, but his feet only slipped about uselessly - so he did the only thing he could in the fraction of a second he possessed:</p><p>He leaned back and let himself fall from the pipe.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Terra's eyes widened in terror as she watched Ryouga fall backwards off the pipe and vanish into the darkness below.</p><p>"...Ryouga?"</p><p>"Ha! Did you two really think you were a match for Adonis?"</p><p>As soon as she heard the grating voice, Terra's hands curled around the guardrail tightly, the metal twisting beneath her earth enhanced hands. As she looked down at the armored criminal, several strands of her blonde hair slid from behind her ear to cover her right eye.</p><p>The geokinetic girl vaulted the guardrail and landed on Adonis' catwalk with a loud *<em>clang</em>* that resounded throughout the night thanks to her additional bulk. Standing from her crouch, Terra eyed the imposing villain.</p><p>"I swear, if you hurt my friend..."</p><p>Adonis scoffed loudly, "You'll what? You can't do anything to me way up here, so, why don't you get lost like a <em>good</em> little girl?"</p><p>
  <em>Terra watched, helpless, as her body moved to a will not her own. The dark voice of her 'master' slithered into her ear from across the dimly lit cavern.</em>
</p><p>"<em>That's my good little girl."</em></p><p>`'-<em>hrnRhaaaaaaa</em>!" an inarticulate howl tore itself from Terra's throat as she hurled herself at the crimson-colored criminal. The towering Adonis took a step back at her charge before recovering his wits and letting out a confident laugh and baring his chest for her. Her fingernails dug painfully into her palm as swung as hard as she could -</p><p>Terra's fist slammed home so hard that the report of her own strike nearly deafened her. Adonis' exposed face contorted hilariously as his massive frame slid back several feet, squealing loudly, and shooting sparks every inch.</p><p>Terra didn't even have the chance to stare incredulously at her own handiwork, as her right hand was unceremoniously dragged to the catwalk with metallic ring. The reason for her ridiculous success became immediately evident; even as she watched, the massive stone slab wrapped around her own tiny hand began to flow back up her arm, reforming the stone serpent which ran comfortably across her shoulders.</p><p>The young hero stared at her newly uncovered hand for a long moment, a bit unsure of what to make of it. She hadn't even thought about doing that - which was a bit stupid of her, now that she thought of it, trying to punch a giant metal man with her bare hand...</p><p>A nasty smile, one she hadn't used for some time, formed on her lips as she looked at Adonis.</p><p>"If you think I'm going to let you get away with hurting my friend," she reminded him. "You've got another thing coming."</p><p>Standing straight again, Adonis brushed off his chest and glared down at her, finally looking serious for the first time that night. "Alright, Titan. I was hoping to test this suit out on the real Titans, but I guess you'll have to do."</p><p>Tired of talking, Terra charged forward pulling her arm back as she closed the gap. Adonis took a long step forward to meet her, his own arm cocking back in a loud whirring of servos as his hand closed into a heavy fist.</p><p>With arms nearly as long as she was tall, Adonis lashed out first, swinging around in a vicious right hook. Ignoring the warnings echoing through her head that she was insane, Terra held up her left arm to block; at the same time, she stretched out her right arm and grabbed onto the steel guardrail for dear life. Almost of its own accord, the earthen boa solidified into a solid shaft of stone which ran behind her back and spread out to form an igneous shield which hovered several inches before her blocking arm.</p><p>Adonis' punch slammed into her guard so hard that it warped the guardrail over a foot out of shape. Long, jagged cracks spread through her shield and the impact shook her entire body, but the total absence of searing pain was a good sign.</p><p>Terra released the guardrail and in the same motion leaned forward towards her opponent, dragging her arm behind her. More aware now, she felt the odd sensation of inertia as the mass of her shield was rapidly reabsorbed, sliding up her left arm, then flowing down her right arm as she launched a haymaker of her own.</p><p>Her fist, though downright dainty compared to her opponent's, crushed into Adonis' chest with enough force to bounce him off the metal wall behind him. This time she was prepared for the enormous weight of the two-foot block of stone wrapped around her fist to drag her hand to the ground.</p><p>Rather than panic, Terra knelt into a low front stance, her left leg stretched out behind her and her entire weight balanced on her right leg, now tucked to her chest. Then, pushing with all her strength, Terra leapt up into a textbook uppercut - Textbook, at least until the stone slab around her fist suddenly extended upwards into a rigid column which dragged her earth encased hand up with it.</p><p>Adonis staggered forward just in time to catch the earthen uppercut right to the chin. The two of them flew apart at the impact, Adonis flying up and back to slam back into the tower again, lodging into the metal wall several feet above the catwalk.</p><p>Terra did a gentle spin as she fell back from the strike, the stone spire which had lifted her seeming to liquefy as it flowed back up her right arm before settling across her shoulders again as she landed.</p><p>The geokinetic stared at her hands in wonder, a small sheath of stone sliding over to encompass her gloves as she did.</p><p>'<em>Where did that come from</em>?'</p><p>The sound of tearing metal told her she didn't have time to ponder the question. Ahead of her, Adonis pushed himself out of his form fitting indent and dropped to the catwalk with a rattling *<em>clang</em>*. Then, in an annoyingly casual manner, the bulky criminal lifted his arms and proceeded to flex his mechanical muscles in a ridiculous display.</p><p>"Heh, that wasn't too bad. You got a little spunk in you after all, don't you?" Suddenly the iron clad villain levelled a scrutinizing gaze her way. "...wait a minute.  I know you... don't I?"</p><p>Terra's brow crinkled up at the unpleasant thought. "Um, I'm pretty sure I'd remember a tin-plated jerk like you."</p><p>Adonis kept up his curious inspection for another moment before snapping his fingers. "Hey! That's right! You're that Dirt girl, aren't you? The one that nearly took out the Titans, heck, the entire city. Man, I thought you were supposed to be dead, or something, though?"</p><p>A deep frown formed on the blonde's lips at the unpleasant reminders. "I got better," she replied in a bitter tone.</p><p>A derisive bark of laughter was his reply. "Better? You're joking, right? I thought you were supposed to be some kind of legendary monster, here, but I'm not even breaking a sweat yet." Another snide chuckle. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I didn't run into the real Titans after all. If someone as pathetic as you was enough to take them all on, then someone as powerful as <em>Adonis </em>would'a crushed those punks like bugs!"</p><p>The sudden clatter of stone hitting steel brought Adonis' diatribe to an end. The villain stared at her in confusion, probably wondering why she had just let the stone she'd been using as her weapon drop to the catwalk.</p><p>"Powerful? You think you know what <em>power</em> is?" Terra's words held a dark edge as she regarded the towering criminal. The slight girl lifted her hand and curled it into a fist as she stared at him; she could feel her eyes beginning to glow with yellow light.</p><p>It started off small, as a tiny tremor jolted the entire facility. Adonis staggered slightly, a fitting expression of worry blooming on his face as the catwalk continued to vibrate menacingly beneath his feet.</p><p>"Hey - hey now! What are you doing?"</p><p>Terra tilted her head to the side in mock curiosity. "What are you worried about, Adonis? I can't possibly do anything to you way up here, isn't that right?"</p><p>Another tremor, this one noticeably stronger, ran through the chemical plant. Adonis was forced to grab onto the guardrail to maintain his balance this time. Terra could only smile as she studied the look on his face -</p><p>"Enough, Terra." The reassuring feeling of a hand dropping on her shoulder caused the young blonde to spin around instantly.</p><p>"Ryouga! You're alright!" she cried ecstatically.</p><p>True to form, her mentor - barefoot for some unfathomable reason - offered up a macho smile. "Of course I'm alright. Why wouldn't I be?"</p><p>"B-but I saw you fall, how did you-"</p><p>Ryouga cut her off with an unconcerned wave of his hand before gesturing to the familiar form of the sleek, black umbrella strapped to his back, the very same one she'd seen him with when they'd first met.</p><p>"These things have a thousand uses. Now, Terra, <em>calm down</em>."</p><p>In an instant, Terra realized that the entire chemical plant was still vibrating. Taking a deep breath, Terra relaxed her body as best as she could and forced her mind to go blank... and a moment later, the shaking finally stopped.</p><p>A moment after that, Terra felt her cheeks begin to flush with embarrassment as she realized what she'd almost done. "I - I-"</p><p>"Hey, don't worry about it." It was offered with a smile, though even Terra could see the strained edges around it. The reassuring squeeze he gave her shoulder, though, felt completely genuine. "Just take it slow. You don't need your full power to deal with a coward like this."</p><p>"Hey! Who are you weaklings calling a coward?" Adonis finally released the guardrail and rose to his full height once more. "It's gonna take more than a few special effects to scare me!"</p><p>Terra spun to glare at the annoying villain, only to have Ryouga pull her back. Releasing her shoulder, the martial artist then cracked his knuckles menacingly. "I don't suppose I can take a turn?"</p><p>Terra simply smiled and gestured for him to pass her.</p><p>"Be my guest."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Far above the battle, Starfire let out a breath she had not realized she had been holding. That had been far too close for comfort. Though she could not be certain as to exactly what Terra's intention may have been, the physical reverberations which had struck the facility had been most disconcerting. She only hoped that no one else-</p><p>The telltale sound of her communicator activating caused her spirits to flag immediately. With resigned hesitance, Starfire flipped open the device.</p><p>"Starfire, this is Robin, come in."</p><p>The Tamaranean bit back a sigh. "I am here, Robin."</p><p>"We're reading some unusual seismic activity from the factory. Is everything alright in there?"</p><p>Starfire waffled for a long moment, not certain how to respond, until finally -</p><p>"Yes, Robin. The fight is proceeding acceptably thus far. Ryouga and Terra seem to be lacking in the area of the teamwork, but Terra is showing an impressive amount of improvisation with her power."</p><p>Robin smiled at that. "Well, Ryouga hasn't had any real practice with team combat yet, so that might be something to focus on later. It's good to hear that Terra's training has helped more than her control, as well. Also, can you tell us anything about their opponent, yet? I haven't been able to find any information on him yet."</p><p>Starfire shook her head. "Unfortunately, there is little I can impart upon you. The criminal is obviously wearing a powered suit of some sort; however, the design of the suit is unfamiliar. The most educated guess that I can make is that it is not a suit designed for warfare, due to the lack of obvious weaponry."</p><p>"Either that, or he's just a punk that managed to steal it and just hasn't figured out how to use them. Regardless, keep on watching them, and remember, if it looks like things are going badly, get down there and help them as quickly as you can."</p><p>Instantly, the professional tone disintegrated as Starfire let out an annoyed 'Hmph!' at that. "I can assure you; I would have done <em>that</em> even had you not said so."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>With a dull *<em>thunk</em>*, Happosai landed on the hood of the last of the approaching squad cars. With a wide smile, a cheeky wave, and deft flick of his wrist, the ancient master tossed the <em>Happo Dai-Kabin</em> in through the driver window. Just like the other four cars, the officers had just enough time to start panicking before grayish ball burst, instantly filling the interior of the car with paralytic mold.</p><p>A moment later, the car rolled to an abrupt stop, a convenient lamp post providing a break for the coasting vehicle.</p><p>Confident that there would be no more distractions, Happosai dusted some stray spores from his hands and turned to watch his disciple's on-going battle.</p><p>...Where was his disciple's on-going battle?</p><p>For that matter, where was his disciple?</p><p>A few quick jumps took him to the general area where he had last seen Jinx fighting with Killer Croc. From there, things quickly fell into place.</p><p>The massive, twenty-foot-wide hole in the center of the street was hard to miss.</p><p>He could feel the tell-tale tingle of his apprentice's power dancing along the edges of the shattered pavement. Though, considering the scope of the destruction, it didn't surprise him that Jinx was somehow responsible. The fact that the hole had punched straight through the road and into a subterranean culvert of some type,well, that appeared to be just Jinx's luck.</p><p>"Don't let an old man down, Jinx... You've come too far to fail now."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>A drop of water splashed on the edge of her consciousness...</p><p>It was soon followed by another, this one rolling down her cheek and tickling her nose before splattering onto the ground.</p><p>The third drop prompted Jinx's eyes to flutter open... and her nose to crinkle in disgust.</p><p>"W-what <em>is</em> that smell?" the sorceress muttered to herself, still only half awake. Gingerly, her entire side protesting every inch of the way, Jinx attempted to sit up and take stock of her situation -</p><p>Which immediately caused her to topple off the narrow ledge she'd landed on and proceed to tumble helplessly through the air for another twenty feet before splashing down in an endless seeming pool of water. Instantly blind panic gripped the young woman and she thrashed about, terrified. It wasn't until her foot inadvertently kicked the bottom, that she realized that the water she was now standing in was only chest deep.</p><p>Unfortunately, Jinx didn't have time to contemplate her embarrassment as a much more disturbing matter loomed in on her.</p><p>"Please... please tell me that I am <em>not</em> in a sewer!"</p><p>A quick scan around her revealed various pieces of detritus floating on the brackish water around her.</p><p>A deep shudder ran its way up the entire length of her spine.</p><p>"Don't throw... Don't throw up Jinx - Do <em>not</em> throw up..."</p><p>The focus granted by her hastily repeated mantra not only allowed the girl to settle her rising gorge, it also gave her the clarity to realize another important fact:</p><p><em>'I am currently standing up to my A-cups in sewage fighting someone named Killer Croc...</em>'</p><p>She managed to spin around just in time to see the little patch of bubbles in the water behind her explode into a towering geyser as Killer Croc burst out of the water, arms spread wide.</p><p>Sadly, that was all that she had time to do. She tried to dive to the side, but as deep in the... <em>water</em>... as she was, all she managed to do was splash around ineffectually before Croc crashed down on her in an avalanche of scales and muscle.</p><p>Jinx made the mistake of crying out in pain as Croc crushed her to his chest in a vicious bear hug, as a second later he dove forward and plunged them beneath the water. Her ribs gave an ominous creak as all the air was expelled from her lungs in an instant and a second later, water spilled in to take its place.</p><p>Blind panic ripped through her mind and she started thrashing her legs uselessly - her mouth was so filled with liquid that she couldn't even scream out. All she could feel was the implacable scales squeezing in on her sides with pneumatic force.</p><p>Pink light flared to life right in front of her as her power surged uncontrollably. The eerie pink light pouring out from her hands revealed the massive chest to which she was being crushed, as well as the snapping jaws hanging mere inches above her head!</p><p>A scream tried to tear itself from her throat, but there was nothing left to exhale. She wouldn't even have the chance to drown with the way her organs were being squeezed to pulp - there was nothing she could do, no trick she'd learned from Happosai that would let her finesse her way out...</p><p>Without even thinking, the desperate sorceress pressed her hands against Croc's chest and wildly poured as much power into it as she could. Within seconds the water began to bubble and boil between them; Jinx would have cried out herself if she could have, but she ignored the pain and poured it on.</p><p>Bright spots began to dance across her vision and her lungs felt like they were going to explode, collapse and burst into flames all at once, but the light from her hands just kept getting brighter -</p><p>And suddenly she was in the air again - flying wildly through the air as Croc hurled her away from him, howling in pain. A mouth full of brackish water flowed down into her lungs as she tried to take her first breath, instantly wracking her with an agonizing coughing fit as she attempted vainly to control her landing.</p><p>She landed in a spectacular belly flop several yards away, pain flaring through ever fiber of her torso for a seeming eternity. Finally, though, she managed to right herself enough to take in a deep breath of air - which immediately prompted another series of hacking coughs which nearly made her pass out.</p><p>While she painfully recovered, she took a quick glance at her opponent. Killer Croc was still bellowing his fury and splashing water furiously over the two livid, jet black handprints that were now burned into his pectorals.</p><p>Despite her very minor victory, Jinx didn't feel like celebrating. It was all she could do to drag herself out of the water and onto one of the narrow walkways that ran around the large collecting pool.</p><p>Coughing up the rest of the water in her lungs, Jinx forced herself up from her hands and knees to fire a death glare at Croc.</p><p>"You..." She drew her sleeve across her lips to wipe away her spittle... only to grimace as she made the mess even worse, "...you made me drink <em>sewer water</em>! There isn't even a metaphor for how dead you are!"</p><p>Instantly Killer Croc ceased his efforts to cool his chest and turned his hate filled eyes her way. Wafts of steam continued to roll up his torso and his eyes narrowed into murderous slits as he studied her.</p><p>Then the reptilian criminal slid beneath the surface of the pool and vanished from her sight... and within seconds, the ripples died away leaving the water as calm and dark as polished onyx.</p><p>Jinx considered this turn of events for a moment.</p><p>"Crap... I think I really pissed him off."</p><p>Maybe discretion would be the better part of valor for now?</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The caped crusader dropped to the ground next to the withered master with barely a whisper of sound. Then, in a practiced motion, he pulled out his grapnel hook and aimed it down into the abyssal gulf that rested in the heart of the street. He prepared to fire a line down into the pitch -</p><p>Only to have the device knocked from his hand by an antique pipe. Even as his launcher bounced to the hard pavement and skittered away, Batman spun to stare at Happosai.</p><p>The ancient master wasn't even staring back at him, rather, all his attention was downwards, as if he were trying to pierce the obfuscating darkness by pure force of will. "Now, now, Detective, none of your tricks."</p><p>The detective's eyes narrowed dangerously. "This has gone too far. Your apprentice is in real danger now. It's time that we intervened."</p><p>Slowly, Happosai began to nod in agreement, "I'm afraid I can't let you do that, boy. This is Jinx's trial... and she'll either succeed or fail on her own."</p><p>"I don't think you understand just how dangerous Croc is, especially in his own environment like this. If we don't help her, she will highly likely die," Batman explained in all seriousness.</p><p>Happosai shrugged. "I suppose anything is possible."</p><p>The cloaked hero could scarcely understand what he was hearing. "You claim to be this girl's master... and yet you would leave her to die?"</p><p>The ancient master turned on him, a serious expression on his face. "I do this <em>because</em> I am her master. Do you think I want to see any harm come to my disciple? She won't lose to the likes of that one, not with what I've taught her, I promise you that." Happosai smiled confidently. "I know that she'll prove herself worthy of the training I've given her, and I won't let you spoil our fun."</p><p>The Dark Knight could hear the strain in the old man's voice, as if he were trying to convince himself of his own words. Batman was no stranger to the 'life and death' combat test, but at the same time, he couldn't be certain just how much of Happosai's faith in his student was confidence, and how much was bravado...</p><p>Despite the chill running up his spine at the mere thought of what he was about to do, the grim hero reached into the back of his utility belt and discretely slid on his electrified knuckles.</p><p>"I understand why you think you need to do this, Happosai, but I can't just allow you to throw her life away for nothing like this."</p><p>Happosai let out a beleaguered sigh as he returned his attention to the pit. "Do what you gotta do, Detective. I know that my Jinx has what it takes. Of course, if he does get lucky, then your crocodile man will find that her life comes with a hefty price tag."</p><p>As tempting as it was to just let someone else deal with a psychotic monster like Killer Croc in a permanent manner, that just wasn't the kind of man he was. Though he wasn't certain if it would help at all, the caped crusader pulled something else from his belt as well.</p><p>With a sigh, Batman slammed the smoke pellet into the ground right at Happosai's feet.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Adonis smirked as he regarded the tiny man approaching him, cracking his knuckles. He had been taken off guard by the girl - who would have expected such a skinny little thing to hit that hard? - but he wouldn't make the same mistake with this one. Considering he was dressed like some kind of kung fu fighter and, more importantly, how he had leapt all the way up here under his own power, made it obvious that this was no normal guy.</p><p>That in mind, Adonis spread out his stance and lifted his hands up in a loose approximation of a boxer. "Alright then, bring it on, little man."</p><p>The little fighter was more than eager to please, letting out a dark growl and baring an impressive set of fangs as he charged. Even as prepared as he was, though, Adonis was still shocked at the sudden burst of speed from his opponent. The headband wearing guy nearly vanished into a blur, only to reappear at his side and lash out with an arcing kick.</p><p>His surprise only increased when the kick slammed into his side. Unlike last time, he wasn't leaving himself stupidly wide open, but it was still strong enough to send him skidding a foot to the side in a shower of sparks.</p><p>It was followed up by an even faster punch to his 'ribs' which rang his entire suit like a gong. Adonis wasn't sure how it was possible, but this guy was hitting harder with his bare hands than the girl was with a hundred pounds of stone wrapped around her fist.</p><p>Still, it was nothing compared to what Adonis could dish out! The massive criminal lifted his foot, only to slam it down a second later. The strike reverberated through the entire catwalk, shaking both the fanged fighter and the tiny blonde girl; more importantly, though, it imbedded his foot into the steel catwalk, giving him insurmountable footing.</p><p>The bandanna guy's next kick, a fanciful twisting back-kick kinda thing, struck with the force of a compact car, but Adonis didn't budge an inch. His smile growing by the second, the titanic criminal swung a devastating backhand at his nimble opponent. Unsurprisingly, the little guy ducked under it with no real problem, but the look on the fighter's face when Adonis' fist tore through the three-inch steel wall of the tower beside them like so much tissue paper... well, that was priceless.</p><p>"Heh, you shouldn't have called off your girlfriend, Shorty. You may have some fancy moves, but when it comes to strength - <em>no one </em>can match Adonis!"</p><p>A frown spread across his opponent's face. "What do you know about strength?"</p><p>Adonis let out a bark of laughter. "I know that this suit gives me more than enough strength to deal with a pest like you! And once I've squashed you, I'll finish of String Bean over there, and then I'll deal with the rest of your Titan buddies. And <em>you </em>aren't strong enough to do anything about it, <em>runt</em>."</p><p>Much to his delight, the martial artist's face flushed red in fury. "I'll <em>show</em> you how strong I am!"</p><p>Again, the small fighter charged forward, but this time Adonis was ready. Waiting until the last possible second, he let the furious warrior close in before lashing out with a lightning quick jab of his own -</p><p>Only to be shocked <em>again,</em> when, rather than just charge in recklessly for another combo of useless punches, his enemy ducked under his fist and spun around, only to slam bodily into Adonis and lock his arms around his waist in a vice-like grip.</p><p>"What the heck are you doin-"</p><p>His question was cut short when he suddenly felt himself being lifted off the ground. His entombed foot gave a painful squeal as it was torn free from the flooring and the small fighter suddenly spun them around. The moment the hero began to arch his back and Adonis felt himself tip forward helplessly, the intent became clear.</p><p>"<em>Nononono</em>! You <em>idio</em>-"</p><p>Adonis smashed face first into the fragile steel catwalk with bone rattling force. The metal walkway twisted and warped around him like a fishing net and the meager support bolts holding it to the wall snapped off with a sound like gunshots. A moment later, an ominous groan filled the air as the staircase, now the only thing really holding the catwalk up, began to slowly fold under their combined weight.</p><p>Panic gripped the bulky criminal as the black void loomed below him. In a surge of power, the servos in his suit whined to life and swung out his mechanical arms, tearing the metal wreckage apart around them...</p><p>Which was the limit for the stairwell. The spindly frame snapped off its base completely and an instant later, the entire section of catwalk, as well as the two fighters, was tumbling down through the air. Adonis' scream reverberated through the entire facility as several hundred pounds of twisted steel banged and rattled around him as they fell.</p><p>Suddenly, several yellow blurs shot out from... somewhere... the whirring discs flying into - and then through the tangled ironmongery. The shower of sparks and hellish sound of steel being sliced apart lasted for just a few seconds - and then the metallic death cage simply fell apart around them, leaving them in a slightly more solitary descent to their dooms.</p><p>Adonis' mind-numbing terror was interrupted by a heavy fist slamming into his stomach.</p><p>The criminal looked down, incredulously, to stare in shock as the martial artist dug his fingers under the edges of his armor and then rammed his other fist into his chest again.</p><p>"<em>What the hell is wrong with you</em>?"</p><p>Even though he could barely hear his own voice over the whipping winds, Adonis clearly heard the feral snarl from the crazed lunatic. Rather than respond, the fighter swung his entire body back, only to pull back down and slam both feet into his mechanical chest hard enough to flip them right over in mid air. On the bright side, Adonis could no longer see where they were falling; on the not so bright side, his insane opponent was now straddling his chest and pummeling his poor, abused armor with furious right hooks.</p><p>He threw a few desperate punches at the berserker, but the dark-haired warrior either ducked beneath them, or outright blocked them with angry swings of his ridiculously powerful arms.</p><p><em>Screw this! </em>The guy wasn't hurting him, so he'd deal with him later! Frantically, Adonis looked around, trying to find anything to grab on to, to stop their fall.</p><p>His search proved moot when the air was blasted from his lungs when his back suddenly crushed into a heavy pipe running across their path. The thick metal walls bent nearly in half from their impact, only to be sundered completely by another hit from the crazed fighter which slammed home with freight train force.</p><p>The sounds of shredding steel pierced Adonis' ears as he was punched through the metal tube, and then they were free falling again. This fall wasn't nearly as long since they hit the guard rail on another catwalk. They tore right through it, but it was enough to send them into a wild spin as they fell. The entire world dissolved into a blur of darkness and metal as they spun through the night air.</p><p>The pair of them, the martial artist now clinging to him for dear life, slammed into several more pipes, a few walls and storage tanks - the last one sandwiching the fighter between the heavy steel walls and the indestructible frame of his suit - before they finally slammed down onto a platform sturdy enough to bring a jarring halt to their drop.</p><p>Several long moments passed as they both lay in the crater their landing created. Labored breathing and pained groans were the only sounds for nearly half a minute as they fought to regain their breaths.</p><p>His pained grin growing, Adonis was the first to sit up. Though it felt like every inch of his body was on fire, he was certain that his suit had absorbed the worst of his damage... unlike his unfortunate opponent.</p><p>With a whir of servos, the technological terror rose to his feet, dragging the martial artist up by the scruff of his neck. His pained grin grew into an evil smile as he looked around them. It didn't take him long to find something suitably humiliating to punish this little maniac with. His victim's eyes followed his line of sight, only to widen in fear.</p><p>"<em>Ohhhh</em> no."</p><p>Adonis nodded spitefully. "Ohhhh, yes."</p><p>He then reared back, martial artist in hand, and hurled him as hard as he could. The human missile tore through the air in a blur of yellow and black...</p><p>...shattering the Lavatory's roof to dust and vanishing from sight a second later to the sounds of smashing porcelain and splashing water.</p><p>Adonis dusted off his mechanical hands, laughing to himself. "That's one problem well and truly flushed. Now... Where did that other one get t-"</p><p>A massive stone battering ram crashed into his side, firing him off the platform with all the grace of a chromatic red pinball. He ricocheted off something unyielding before dropping a final uninterrupted thirty feet to smash to the concrete floor. The ground shattered like glass, blasting up a cloud of dust and debris from the crater his landing formed.</p><p>Groaning in pain, Adonis dragged himself to his knees, ignoring the worrying sparks jumping angrily from his shoulder. "Damn girl... startin' to piss me off..."</p><p>As the dust finally began to settle, it revealed the blonde girl standing over a dozen yards away from him, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides and her eyes glowing with yellow energy.</p><p>He started to feel a tinge of nervousness creep in again as he regarded the angry looking girl. If he was gonna have even a chance, he needed to close in fast!</p><p>Ignoring the pain, Adonis jumped to his feet and charged forward, ripping up a chunk of concrete as he did. He tossed the slab ahead of himself as he ran, only to watch as the girl effortlessly waved her hand to the side, causing the chunk to fly wide, then lift her other hand. In an instant, a stone column rose in front of him.</p><p>He didn't even slow his charge, just lowered his sparking shoulder, and blasted through the pillar. A flash of worry flashed across her face when he smashed through the second pillar just as easily.</p><p>Just as his confidence began to rise again, though, the girl lifted both hands, and a dozen basketball sized boulders tore themselves out of the grounds and flew towards him in a swarm. He managed to swat the first two out of the air, but the rest slammed into his frame, first unbalancing him, then finally sending him flying to crash on his back again.</p><p><em>'Damnit</em>!' Reaching out blindly, not even sure what it was he ended picking up, Adonis sat up and tossed whatever it was at the girl as hard as he could.</p><p>The chunk of steel pipe wall whistled through the air fast enough that it generated a crack of thunder. The blonde barely had enough time lift a stone wall up in front of her, letting out a yelp of panic, but the metal projectile demolished the hasty defense in a burst of rubble which slammed into the shocked girl with bone rattling force.</p><p>The blonde collapsed to the ground in a heap, half buried in the same earth she'd used to defend herself.</p><p>A moment passed in silence...</p><p>Adonis let out a bark of laughter... then another.</p><p>Slowly dragging himself to his feet, he took a step towards the downed girl.</p><p>"Looks like it's time to finish you off, little lady."</p><p>"Over my <em>dead body!"</em></p><p>Adonis stopped dead at the unfamiliar voice coming from somewhere. Had another Titan arrived on the scene? He was just about to look around to find the speaker, when said speaker chose that same moment to drop down right before him. Adonis could only stare strangely at the new arrival.</p><p>"Who the hell are you, kid?  And why are you wearing the same stupid headband that other guy was?"</p><p>The young boy, standing barely half his height, glared up at him heatedly, even as he tucked a small yellow disc behind his back.</p><p>"My name is... um - ah... It's none of your damn business, that's what! Oh, forget it, just prepare to die!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Though it was excruciating, Jinx struggled to control her breathing as she slid along the wall. It was also a struggle to ignore the feeling of the slick sewer wall on her back, but she choked down her disgust and kept herself pressed up against it as she moved. It was so damned dark down here, away from even the meager light filtering down through the hole they'd blasted in the street, that the wall was the only thing she could use to navigate.</p><p>Moving as carefully as possible, she lifted one foot and slid it to the side before lowering it - and very nearly gave herself a heart attack when the thick sole of her shoe touched down on a metal grating of some sort, causing a metallic rattle to echo outward. Even though the sound was nearly silent, in her current state it sounded like she'd just stepped on a landmine.</p><p>Though the sorceress knew it was foolish, she had to know what she'd just stepped on. Holding her hand tightly to her chest, she turned to the wall and willed a tiny spark of power to flare to life at the tip of her finger. For an instant she was blinded by pink, but her sharp eyes quickly adjusted to the faint light. A quick look down revealed her situation.</p><p>The wall she was sneaking along ended less than a foot away from where she was standing, opening into a wide circular tunnel which ran perpendicular to her narrow walkway. What she'd stepped onto was apparently a long, floating catwalk which ran down the center of the tunnel and far off into the impenetrable darkness.</p><p>Snuffing out her tiny night light, Jinx quailed internally at what she should do. Did she go back the way she came from and possibly run into Croc where she knew he had the advantage, or did she keep moving forward and risk giving away her position in hopes of finding a better place to make her stand...</p><p>Letting out a tiny sigh, Jinx took another excruciatingly careful step, bringing her full weight onto the catwalk. A nearly inaudible creaking emanated from the bulky metal walkway, but her meager weight didn't appear to be enough to displace the catwalk too much.</p><p>Relatively confident now, she began to travel down the tunnel, stepping quietly and using the handrail to keep on track. As she walked, she could almost see the sound waves rolling out from her every step and did everything in her vivid imagination to try to minimize the invisible lines. Unfortunately, walking nearly blind as she was left a good part of that up to luck-</p><p>As was evidenced when the toe of her shoe kicked into the upraised lip of the next section of catwalk that some damned, lazy engineer hadn't bothered to bolt down correctly! A loud *<em>clang</em>* rang out, the sound meter in her mind's eye spiking painfully and the shocked sorceress let out a nasty profanity.</p><p>Mere seconds later, she let out an even more vulgar curse when the catwalk beneath her began to rattle ominously. Instantly, Jinx raised her hands and pink fire encompassed them as she spun around to spot her carnivorous adversary.</p><p>As such, she was caught totally off guard when the section of catwalk right before her suddenly exploded up in a shower of sewer water and shattered metal. A second later, the massive figure of Killer Croc, damp scales shimmering unnaturally around the pair of dark hand shaped scorch marks on his chest, landed on the catwalk before her, sending her stumbling back frantically.</p><p>With a feral growl, the criminal creature lashed out with gleaming claws and only the fact that she was already stumbling out of the way kept her from being disemboweled on the spot. She bit off a pained scream as the completely unsanitary claws tore into her left arm, shredding dress, and skin alike. She felt a spray of warmth splatter across her face and familiar taste of copper trickled across her tongue as the force of the strike sent her spinning into the guardrail painfully.</p><p>The panicked sorceress did the only thing she could think of, then, she scrambled to her feet and began to sprint back the way she came, hand pressed harshly against her bleeding arm. Within moments she reached the end of the catwalk and, not really knowing what else to do, simply leapt straight up into the maze of pipes and masonry that crisscrossed above the massive septic pool of the culvert.</p><p>'<em>What the hell am I gonna do!... What would Happi do?'</em></p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Killer Croc smiled vindictively as he lifted his bloodied claw up to his nose and took a deep breath. The scent of his prey, fresh and unmistakable even in the heart of the sewer, filled him with a primal hunger. Sure, there wasn't much meat to be had on such a tiny little thing, but he had no doubt that she would be a meal he would never forget.</p><p>Moving quickly, he reached the end of the catwalk; the dim light from the distant hole in the street growing incrementally brighter by the minute was more than enough for his eyes, accustomed to such darkness, to see the vast pool of water before him.</p><p>A quick sniff told him what he needed to know. Looking upward, he began to carefully scan pipe works above his head. The nearest pipe was only fifteen feet above his head, not so far for him, and not so far for his nimble opponent from what he'd seen.</p><p>Another round of hide and seek, was it? This one wouldn't even be as sporting as the last one. It had taken forever for him to wait for her to slip up and give away her position before, but now he had her scent again... it was just a matter of time.</p><p>The crocodilian criminal indulged himself with a loud chuckle as he looked up into maze of ironmongery. "You can't hide from me, bitch. *<em>Hsssk</em>* I can <em>smell</em> you... Smell your <em>blood</em>. I'm going to <em>enjoy</em> cracking your bones open, Girly."</p><p>His voice echoed back and forth across the cavernous chamber before utter silence settled in for several long minutes. He strained his ears, listening for so much as a scuff of rubber on metal that might tell him where she was hiding; the silence seemed like it might stretch on into eternity, until he was finally rewarded with a response. The infuriating girl's voice echoed around tauntingly, but he could clearly make out the words.</p><p>"Croc, how is it that we're in a sewer and you're <em>still</em> the ugliest thing around?"</p><p>Before Croc even had the chance to growl at the insult, suddenly several blasts of pink energy fired out randomly from above. The flashes of light slammed into any number of surfaces, most notably the rusted pipe above his own head. A second later, he was forced to frantically dive to the side as the heavy piece of steel inexplicably collapsed under its own weight and attempted to make him do the same.</p><p>A horrendous cacophony filled the air as numerous pieces of masonry and steel fell into the pool and onto the various ledges and catwalks that crisscrossed the watery chamber. Massive splashes of water and sparks of brick on metal obscured his vision completely for a moment before the room finally calmed down to near silence again.</p><p>...Was this girl really that stupid? Moving quickly, Killer Croc scaled up the nearby wall, his claws digging into the crumbling mortar easily, and leapt to a nearby ledge. He quickly homed in on the general area he'd seen energy blasts originate from. Taking another deep breath, her scent filled his nose, leading him unerringly in on her.</p><p>He raced down the ledge before leaping across to a hanging pipe. Once there, he began to move cautiously once again. While nimbler than anything with his bulk had any right to be, he was no gymnast... unlike that damned girl. Balancing himself carefully, he stalked down the length of the pipe before swinging over to another pipe which cut across on a more direct route to his prey.</p><p>It took all his will to stop himself from breaking into a full sprint on the precarious pipe work. The sound of his blood pumping in his own ears was all he could hear, and his vision began to narrow into a tunnel of pure intent as he closed in. The smell of blood filled his nostrils, pulling him forward...</p><p><em>There</em>!</p><p>On the far side of a hanging support, he spotted her. Even in the subterranean gloom, the dark lavender of the frayed, flaring shoulder of her dress peeking around the steel beam stood out keenly.</p><p>Croc took a second to stop himself, forcing himself to calm down as he crept forward. Each silent step was torture, as his instincts howled for blood, but he managed to suppress his bloodlust enough to keep his approach as stealthy as possible.</p><p>Finally, after a seeming eternity, the scaly criminal was close enough, less than three feet of air and eighteen inches of mild steel between him and the little witch. The smell of her blood was strong now, tantalizingly so. Sinister smirk growing on his pallid lips, Croc reached back, muscles tensing gleefully...</p><p>Then he lunged, his deadly claws cutting through the air as he swung his arms around the support. He caught the slight girl dead between his talons and felt the gratifying sensation of fabric tearing to ribbons - quickly followed by the painfully grating squeal of his claws skittering across steel.</p><p>Confused, Croc pulled his hands back... only to stare blankly at the torn pieces of material that hung from his nails. What was once a one-piece dress was now slashed into a halter top and a miniskirt and the sight left him completely befuddled.</p><p>If her clothes were in his hands... then, where was she?</p><p>It was in that moment of silent contemplation that an odd sound began to filter its way into his consciousness. Some kind of... bubbling sound? And it was coming from... from below him?</p><p>Morbid curiosity drew his gaze down to the pool of water directly below him. The shock of pink hair stood out easily against the brackish water, as did the wide, Cheshire grin which it framed as Jinx looked back up at him. In the chest deep water, he could only see the top of her dark sports bra, but that fact was quickly forgotten in light of the roiling, churning patch of water directly in front of her.</p><p>The reason for the bubbling was revealed all too soon as the slight girl lifted her hands out of the water. For some reason, her hands were wrapped in what looked to be the very striped stockings she'd been wearing earlier - and mere seconds after leaving the dark water, the steaming material all but vaporized, revealing a disturbingly large sphere of raging pink energy dancing merrily between her cupped palms.</p><p>"<em>Pucker up, you scaly son of a bitch</em>!"</p><p>"Oh Hel-"</p><p>And then Killer Croc's world dissolved into a disgusting neon pink.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Batman dove frantically to the side as a series of explosions rocked the street all around him. In a flash of movement, he pulled out another fan of beeping batarangs and hurled the lot of them at the madly bouncing form of the tiny terror.</p><p>Happosai easily ducked and dodged around the flying blades, even as he pulled out another handful of his archaic looking explosives. The diminutive master quickly dove forward as the batarangs dug into the street around him before exploding furiously a second later.</p><p>The debris from these latest explosions joined a steady hail of shattered infrastructure which was now raining down around them. Patches of impenetrable smoke from various smoke bombs cut visibility down, fires raged in shallow craters and alternating patches of ice and mold peppered the streets from countless near misses.</p><p>Reaching behind his back mid roll, Batman checked his ice pellet compartment, only to find it woefully empty.</p><p>A second later one of Happosai's fuse bombs bounced down onto the pavement right in front of him. The Dark Knight had a split second to bemoan his opponent's apparently unlimited supply of explosives, even as he threw himself backwards and threw his arms up in front of him to shield his face.</p><p>The inevitable explosion lifted the caped crusader off his feet and sent him flying through the air. The heat and concussion were painful, but not cripplingly so. Again, he easily righted himself in midair and landed on his feet, skidding to a stop several feet later.</p><p>A somewhat frantic search revealed that his supplies of smoke pellets, explosive pellets and standard batarangs were all exhausted as well. He'd just thrown his last set of explosive batarangs and he only had one last charge left for his grapnel hook.</p><p>None of which mattered, as the diminutive master of martial arts was already charging his way again, intent on another round of fisticuff. Batman glanced down at his electric knuckles... Or at least the remains of them. The right one was sparking slightly in a way it wasn't designed to... the left had been reduced to an expensive set of brass rings. The detective was also certain that he would be feeling the results of his hasty resetting of his dislocated shoulder for the entire week to come.</p><p>There was nothing to be done for it now. He needed a distraction, or he was done for, and without ever having even gotten close to the hole in the street. There was only one compartment left on his belt that wasn't empty, the compartment that he used to collect evidence from crime scenes.</p><p>Even after being subjected to the tiny terror for several minutes now, Batman's eyes still widened at the burst of speed that Happosai poured on as he surged forward, manic smile splitting his face.</p><p>Even with decades of painstaking training, honing his body to the limit of human potential, Batman scarcely had enough time to empty the contents of his belt into his hand and throw it straight into the charging martial artist's path...</p><p>Only then did the Dark Knight recall the last crime he had investigated: a certain string of thefts committed by an improbably skilled cat burglar...</p><p>The burgundy piece of lingerie - which he had been quite hopeful to find some trace of DNA evidence on - fluttered uselessly through the air. The Batman wasn't certain what would be more painful, the incoming pummeling, or the damage to his reputation if this little mishap got out-</p><p>"<em>Sweeto</em>!"</p><p>Happosai latched onto the pair of panties like a lamprey, hugging the piece of... evidence to his chest with a disturbing amount of passion.</p><p>Batman could only stare for a moment as the incredibly powerful and dangerous warrior apparently seemed to just... forget that they were in the midst of a life and death struggle. He strongly considered attacking the ancient pervert while he was distracted, but it hardly seemed very sporting.</p><p>But still, there was a life at stake-</p><p>Both warriors were suddenly knocked from their feet when, without warning, an eruption of brilliant pink energy blasted up from the street. The towering torrent of neon power ripped open a new chasm in the street even larger than the one that had been created already, and the soaring stream of light continued to rise into the air for several long seconds before it finally began to subside and vanish back into the cavernous pit.</p><p>Several seconds after that, the familiar gray form of Killer Croc slammed into the ground with enough force to shatter the pavement even further.</p><p>Slowly, Batman and Happosai rose to their feet, at a loss as they stared at the scene of destruction.</p><p>Several silent moments later, another figure appeared through the new aperture. The slim female landed in a crouch from her graceful leap out of the septic abyss, holding the pose for several long seconds, apparently catching her breath, before finally rising to her feet.</p><p>Instantly, a dozen spotlights from a dozen news copters centered in on the young woman, revealing a dramatic change in her attire. Where before she had been wearing a dark one-piece dress and long stripped stockings, the girl's mid riff and legs were left completely exposed as her dress had somehow been reduced to little more than a halter top and a micro skirt, and her silly looking stockings were nowhere to be found.</p><p>Oh, and her dress was smoking heavily, both the grey wisps of ash and her flowing pink hair blowing dramatically in the wind generated by the numerous news choppers.</p><p>Slowly, the Dark Knight turned to his atypical associate. "What did you say her name was again?"</p><p>The shameless smile adorning the wizened warrior's face was impossible to miss. "That's my Jinx. Heh, I told you she'd be able to handle your circus sideshow."</p><p>Batman could only shake his head.</p><p>"I think the Titan's should know about this."</p><p>Happosai's chuckle sounded like the rustling of autumn leaves.</p><p>"Oh, don't you worry, sonny boy. They will."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The first thing she perceived was the darkness. The intimately familiar, soul crushing darkness which haunted the half of her dreams that weren't bathed in flames. Instantly, Terra's eyes flashed open, unable to stand the numbing abyss for even a single second longer. At which point, she was made aware of the agonizing amount of pain wracking most of her body.</p><p>The slight blonde let out a weak groan as she dragged herself to her knees, struggling to draw breath into her lungs. It felt like she'd had the wind knocked out of her when she'd been pummeled, but she was more than used to the sensation, so she didn't panic, rather she did her best to focus past the pain and breathe.</p><p>Able to do little more than sit there, wheezing, Terra finally took the time to take in her surroundings once more.</p><p>The sight of a four-foot kid battling an eight-foot mechanical monstrosity made the geokinetic hero wonder if she were still unconscious and was dreaming. Luckily, before she thought to pinch herself, she recalled that Ryouga had that strange curse thing that turned him into a kid. She hadn't seen his curse activated in weeks, but that first time was still vivid in her memory.</p><p>Sadly, the battle was going just about as well as one would expect a battle between an eight-year-old and a robotic power suit.</p><p>Not nearly as fast as he was in his normal body, kid Ryouga failed to evade a quick jab from Adonis. The glancing blow clipped the fang's kid's shoulder and sent him spinning like a top, only to crash to the ground in a heap over a dozen feet away.</p><p>The startled gasp of pain that Ryouga gave out when he hit the ground shocked Terra to her core. Were she not already breathless, she would have cried out herself. He hadn't cried out once the entire fight, not even when he was slamming into every piece of metal on the way down here, but minor hit like that was enough to hurt him now?</p><p>Rather than chase him down, the armor-plated antagonist just let out a boisterous laugh. "Stupid brat! Your buddy wasn't strong enough to hurt me, so what are you even thinking?"</p><p>Letting out an inarticulate growl, Ryouga dragged himself to his feet. Fury twisting his young face in a way that twisted Terra's heart, the child-like martial artist suddenly crossed his arms tightly across his chest in a familiar gesture.</p><p>"<em>Shi Shi Houkodan</em>!"</p><p>The aura of viridian light which sprung up around the young fighter before swirling down into a compact sphere which floated before his chest gave Adonis just enough warning to cross his arms in front of his face.</p><p>Ryouga's chi blast crashed over the massive criminal in a wave of power. Terra was shocked as Adonis was sent skidding backwards a few yards, heels digging deep furrows in the pavement. She'd thought that Raven had said his energy attack was getting weaker, not stronger.</p><p>Adonis lowered his arms, studying Ryouga warily for a moment, before grunting in annoyance. "I don't know what the hell that was, but it ain't enough to stop Adonis!"</p><p>Even as Terra rose to her feet, finally regaining control of her breathing, Ryouga simply ducked his head and charged back in, letting out a high-pitched war cry with every step.</p><p>The two combatants collided like a fly hitting a windshield. With Adonis stampeding forward to meet his charge, Ryouga slammed into his chest at a solid thirty miles an hour - in an instant, the fanged martial artist was launched backwards at the same velocity. Terra could only cringe as he rag dolled across the ground before grinding to a stop once more.</p><p>Terra began to move forward to help her friend, unable to bear the sight of her cursed mentor struggling to regain his feet, only to stop in confusion. Halfway to his feet, still resting heavily on one knee, Ryouga pulled out his communicator and growled into it. "Beast Boy, what the hell is the hold up?"</p><p>Even from the distance, Terra could still make out Beast Boy's frantic reply, "Dude! You didn't exactly leave me a lot to work with in here. Just keep that jerk away from Terra till I get there!"</p><p>Nodding fiercely, Ryouga stowed the disc away again. Standing back up, the young warrior's hands curled into tiny little fists. In response to his grim determination, Adonis simply crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head.</p><p>"You just don't get it, do you? I didn't get so much as a <em>dent</em> falling, like, eight stories. You <em>can</em>'t hurt me."</p><p>Eyes narrowing, Ryouga actually nodded in agreement. "Your armor <em>is</em> really tough..." With a fluid motion, he slid his hand up behind his head and wrapped his fingers around the glossy black handle of the slim ebony umbrella strapped to his back.</p><p>Ryouga swung the umbrella out before him, holding it like a fencer might a foil. "However, that armor doesn't cover your entire body, does it?"</p><p>A dark sneer formed on Ryouga's face, an expression which was doubly disturbing to be seen on a child. Then, with a loud click -</p><p>A razor-sharp length of steel slid from the tip of the umbrella.</p><p>The deadly intent so blatantly displayed Ryouga's face combined with the simple, elegance of the bladed umbrella was enough to set both Adonis and Terra, herself, back a step.</p><p>"<em>Ryouga</em>!" Terra shouted, appalled.</p><p>Instantly, the blade vanished back from whence it came, and the fanged fighter spun to stare at her, a bizarre mixture of relief and apprehension on his face. Moving with all speed, Ryouga was at her side in a flash. "T-Terra, you're alright? I thought - thought -"</p><p>Terra frowned darkly at the deceptively old kid... but found it impossible to keep up the angry expression considering the adorably shameful look on Ryouga's childlike face. Eventually, her scowl softened, and she shook her head reproachfully. "Yeah, it's pretty obvious what you were thinking. But I'm alright, so no need to... overreact."</p><p>The unnaturally young martial artist gave another nod, this one decidedly sheepish. "Um, yeah... sorry about that. I'm not exactly good with dealing with frustration."</p><p>Terra rolled her eyes, doing her best to hide her conflicted emotions.</p><p>"Man, you two are freakin' psycho, did you know that? Are you guys sure you're Titans at all?" Adonis called out loudly. The mechanically clad criminal stared at them incredulously. "How do they even let half sane maniacs like you on their team?"</p><p>The blonde geokinetic considered the narcissistic jerk for a moment before smirking. "That's why there's two of us. Between the pair of us we have just enough sanity to do something as insane as being superheroes."</p><p>Terra then turned to Ryouga, her smile growing. "Speaking of crazy, I think I have a plan."</p><p>Ryouga smiled in relief. "It's about time someone thought of something. Now, all I need is B-"</p><p>A sudden spray of steaming water doused Ryouga, instantly reverting him to his teenage form. Terra's eyes nearly bugged out at the unexpected change, but Ryouga simply smiled, looking much more comfortable and pointed up.</p><p>Looking up, Terra smiled widely at the sight of a bright green pelican standing a few stories above them. A moment later, the bird changed back to the familiar changeling they all knew and... liked. Beast Boy instantly stuck out his tongue and began to wave at it frantically while unsuccessfully crying out <em>'hot, hot, hot</em>!'</p><p>"Alright then," stated Ryouga happily, "So what's the plan?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Floating high above the continuing battle, Starfire finally allowed her brilliantly glowing eyes to dim down to their usual emerald hue. She had been terrified for a moment that she might have been forced to intervene... and not in favor of her friends.</p><p>Where had Ryouga acquired that umbrella? She had never thought on it before, due to the pedestrian appearance of the implement, but she did not recall seeing it in his possession prior to his revival of Terra.</p><p>Even now, as the newly restored Ryouga and Terra turned back to regard the crimson criminal after their brief huddle, the Tamaranean found her gaze lingering on the unnerving onyx umbrella which hung from her friend's back.</p><p>Why would he choose to use such a blatantly lethal weapon as opposed to the more utilitarian device which Cyborg had made for him?</p><p>Well... barring the flamethrower in his umbrella, anyway.</p><p>She would need to talk to her beloved friend about this... but Robin and Raven did not need to know of his small... slip. Not yet, at any rate.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Jinx couldn't remember a time that she'd felt so utterly exhausted. Not at any point during her distinguished enrolment at the H.I.V.E. academy, not during her harrowing training sessions with Ryouga. Not even her night long marathons of chasing Happosai from one corner of a city to the other had left her feeling as drained as she was at this moment.</p><p>Of course, with all the helicopters circling over head, the sorceress forced herself to stay on her feet. She'd never fired off such an enormous blast before and frankly, she hoped she'd never have to do so again. It had sucked that much.</p><p>The gentle caress of the night's wind caused a soothing shiver to run down her damp skin, but she loved every second of the clean, fresh air. Unfortunately, she knew she'd probably be smelling of sewer for weeks to come, but for just this moment, the helicopter generated downdraft blew the errant odors away.</p><p>Jinx only allowed her to enjoy her freedom for a moment before turning her attention back to the collapsed form of Killer Croc. He hadn't moved, asides from the gentle rising and lowering of his broad chest, but she wasn't nearly so naïve as to go over and jab him with her toe to check whether he was unconscious.</p><p>"Yo, Croc, you dead, or are we gonna finish this thing already?"</p><p>For a moment... nothing. Then, a deep groan emanated from her opponent's throat. It took somewhat longer for the beast to stagger to his feet before he finally turned to glare hatefully at her.</p><p>"Why... <em>Why</em>? Why are you doing this to me? Who the <em>hell</em> are you?" Croc cried out, almost plaintively.</p><p>For a moment, Jinx felt a twinge in her conscience; she knew all too well the pain of being thwarted by do-gooders... but then she recalled that she didn't really care about other people's problems, especially those of psychotic cannibal freaks that had tried to eat her face.</p><p>"Does it really matter who beats you down, Croc? If it wasn't me, you <em>know</em> it would'a been the Bat. You should've known that you were pretty much destined to fail here." Jinx began to circle around her opponent, a frown beginning to curve her lips. She wasn't certain why she'd said what she'd just said, but it had struck a little closer to home than she would have expected.</p><p>When was the last time she'd come out ahead when it came to fighting heroes, teen or otherwise? The only decisive victory she'd had in recent memory had been when her and Happosai had taken on Blockbuster back in Bludhaven.</p><p>Jinx quickly shook her head. She didn't like where that line of thought was going at all and banished it from her mind.</p><p>Apparently, Croc didn't like her insinuations either, his entire body vibrating with rage as he stared at her.</p><p>It was likely only a matter of seconds before he attacked again, so Jinx took in her surroundings as best as she could without taking her eyes off him. Vehicles lined the street, warehouses stood tall in every direction and cargo cranes towered into the night's sky.</p><p>Not exactly much to work with.</p><p>Several seconds later, her sadly predictable attacker charged forward, claws leading the way. Thankfully, he didn't seem to be in much better shape than her. His rush was haphazard, nearly as much stumbling to and fro as it was a straight line.</p><p>It gave the exhausted girl enough time to roll to the side, though she cried out when she rolled over her slashed shoulder. She swallowed the pain, just as Happi had taught her, and flipped back up to her feet quickly. The sorceress then spun and fired off a hex at Killer Croc.</p><p>The hex, barely more than a pink spark, went high, soaring over Croc's head. In response, he spun on her at tried to crush her in a bear hug, which she escaped by leaping straight up. Planting a foot on his convenient face, she pushed off and forced Croc to stumble backwards before he could catch his balance.</p><p>Flipping nimbly through the air, she landed several yards away, stumbling awkwardly herself, and fired off another pair of insignificant hexes. Croc ducked, nearly falling forward, and the projectiles flew past his head, the pair of sparks lighting up both sides of his face in a macabre dance pink, red and grey.</p><p>They continued this frantic, desperate, and ultimately sloppy dance until Jinx's muscles all but screamed in agony. Her already depleted reserves were now so drained that spots were beginning to dance across her vision, but she forced herself to keep firing off minor hex after minor hex, although most of them missed the criminal, some of them by embarrassing margins.</p><p>Finally, she got a chance to make some space between them. Croc overextended himself on his last attack and ploughed face first into a parked transport trailer. It gave Jinx the opportunity to break out into a staggering run back to the center of the street. Making sure she was far enough away, Jinx turned to face her opponent and dropped to her knees, breaths coming in ragged bursts.</p><p>For his part, Croc dragged himself to his feet, digging his claws into the steel of the truck to do so. The scaled criminal took a moment to take a few desperately needed breaths of his own as he stared at her.</p><p>"T-this - *<em>hssk</em>* - this is over... kid."</p><p>And then, intent on matching word to deed, Killer Croc began to lumber forward one last time. Jinx just stared at the massive criminal as he loped forward, watched the sleek interplay of muscle just beneath his scaled skin as he surged forward.</p><p>Slowly, Jinx nodded to herself.</p><p>"For once, Croc... I totally agree with you..."</p><p>And then she snapped her fingers.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Adonis studied the pair of Titans uncertainly as they huddled together and spoke in hushed tones. He knew he should really be attacking them, but, at the same time, he was more than a little leery of the pair. Between the guy pulling a shiv on him, and the girl threatening to shake the entire damn plant down around them...</p><p>These two weren't at all like the Titan's he had been expecting to run into, there was a... a darkness in these two he wasn't sure that even he himself possessed. It had only become prevalent when one had thought the other was hurt, but still... Oh, and what the heck had been with that water thing? The guy had been the kid? Was that supposed to be some kind of superpower or something? Because it sure seemed like a crappy one. Really, this whole fight was making no sense and it was worrying him no end.</p><p>Adonis was seriously considering taking this moment to make his escape.</p><p>Unfortunately, he let his contemplation run too long, and the pair broke from their huddle and turned to regard him, predatory grins on their faces. Not sure what to make of this new development, Adonis took an uncertain step backwards.</p><p>"Unh-unh-unh," clucked the young blonde chidingly.</p><p>The no-longer young guy offered him a fanged grin. "Yeah, we wouldn't be doing our job if we let you get away."</p><p>The girl nodded knowingly. "That's right. We have a nice comfy prison cell for you. First things first, we need to get you outta here, so we don't wreck this place up anymore than we already have."</p><p>Now, that was going too far for Adonis. It was one thing to threaten him, but to mock him with stupid banter like that? Cracking his mechanical knuckles menacingly, he set himself into a wide stance. "Alright, that's it. You guys might have tried to freak me out with this psycho sibling thing you got going on, but please allow me to reiterate: You <em>punks</em> aren't <em>strong</em> enough to beat Adonis!"</p><p>Annoyingly, the blonde brat shrugged and nodded. "You might be right. You are pretty ridiculously strong and all, of course, sometimes, being strong just doesn't help."</p><p>Adonis stared at her strangely. "What the heck are you talking about, girl? You're getting loopier by the second here."</p><p>Terra chuckled in amusement. "Let me show you."</p><p>She then clapped her hands together tightly, before dropping to her knees and slapping her palms to the ground.</p><p>An instant later, Adonis let out a cry of shock as the very earth beneath his feet began to buckle and churn as if alive. Before he had a chance to do anything about it, his feet began to sink into the dirt, now as loose and flowing as quicksand.</p><p>"W-what the heck are you doing?" he shouted out in shock.</p><p>The blonde shook her head. "Just proving a point. Say, how's that super strength working for you right now?"</p><p>Adonis let out an inarticulate snarl as he continued to sink. None of his flailing helped him, in fact, it only made the pit trap swallow him up all the faster. All too soon, the sand reached his hips, then his waist, then his chest. He tried to push down against the ground, but his arms simply sunk in as well, leaving him helpless.</p><p>Finally, when the roiling sands reached his chin, his descent stopped. Unfortunately, he didn't even have time to curse at his would-be captors when something else happened. Though it was hard to tell through his suit, he felt something clamp down on his foot. Before he knew it, he was suddenly being dragged forward, soil and pavement giving way before him as he was pulled through the earth.</p><p>A frantic look behind him showed the fanged guy keeping pace a few yards back at a sprint and the girl surfing beside him on an upraised platform of rock.</p><p>"What are <em>you guys doooiiiiiinnnnn</em>?"</p><p>At the rate they were moving, they were out of the facility in a matter of minutes, and another minute after that, his head tore through the chain link fence which marked the chemical plant boundary.</p><p>Just when Adonis thought he was going to choke on the dirt getting thrown up into his face, he was suddenly launched skyward. His entire world went topsy-turvy for a moment as he rag dolled helplessly through the air, only to be set painfully straight when he slammed mercilessly to the ground.</p><p>It was with a pained groan that the power suited criminal began to push himself up to his knees -</p><p>Only to let out a surprised shriek when he was suddenly slammed face first into the ground again. Looking awkwardly over his shoulder, he saw the bandanna wearing jerk standing on his back, smirking in an infuriating manner. In surge of power, Adonis pushed himself straight up onto his feet, swinging wildly with his other arm to pulverize the impertinent pest.</p><p>Unfortunately, his swing went wide, and the martial artist vanished from sight as Adonis spun around clumsily from the force of his own attack. When he finally came to a stop, he spun around desperately to find his nemesis...</p><p>Only to pause when he found, not the guy, but the young blonde kneeling down on the dirt a dozen or so yards away from him, a creepy little smile on her face. Confused, but still furious, Adonis took a lumbering step forward, intent on crushing her like an ant.</p><p>Rather than jump to her feet and flee in terror, though, the girl simply leaned forward, as calm as calm could be, and tapped her finger to the ground.</p><p>Just as her finger touched the earth, the blonde Titan quietly said something that sounded strangely like:</p><p>"Bakusai Tenketsu."</p><p>And just like that, Adonis was airborne again. The ground beneath his feet exploded upwards with all the sound and fury of a bomb. Even as he tumbled through the air, debris pummeled him from every side and a choking cloud of dust stung his eyes and blocked vision.</p><p>His impromptu flight seemed to take an eternity, concepts like 'up and down' and 'time' becoming fuzzy as he fell, but finally he smashed to the ground again. Adonis didn't even wait for his head to stop spinning before leaping back to his feet. He swayed back and forth for a moment as soon as he was up but shook his head furiously and began to charge forward blindly. He knew that damn girl was out there somewhere, and as soon as he was out of this damn cloud, he'd-</p><p>Run headlong into Ryouga's clenched fist! The force of the punch was enough to stop Adonis dead in his tracks, and he glared down at the smaller fighter incredulously.</p><p>"What the hell is going on here?" Adonis barked hoarsely.</p><p>The fanged fighter chuckled wickedly. "Just softening you up a bit, that's all."</p><p>Ryouga then proceeded to duck back out of reach of Adonis' tired backhand before suddenly zipping back forward and laying into him with a blindingly fast series of punches.</p><p>The armored criminal wasn't sure what to make of the assault. Despite the speed of his strikes, even combined they didn't have the power to so much as set Adonis back a step. Then, whenever Adonis tried to punch or kick the guy, rather than break off, he just slipped out of the way and then *bam*, was right back in, tapping away.</p><p>And why did it look like the guy was counting silently to himself? What was he up to now... 'eight'?</p><p>Ryouga continued to dance around him for another few moments, only to stop suddenly and take a short leap back just as he mouthed the word 'ten'. Then, smile only widening, the martial artist suddenly crossed his arms over his chest again, a dim glow already beginning to form.</p><p>Adonis' eyes widened and he quickly lifted his arms up over his face again. He knew what that meant. He had no idea what the hell that big glowy attack had been, but it stung like hell!</p><p>"Shi Shi Houkodan!"</p><p>Adonis braced himself as much as he possibly could, vainly trying to prepare himself for the searing...</p><p>...tingle that washed over him? The same green light filled his vision - actually, it was far more bluish than greenish this time - but this time it was like a gentle breeze. Blinking his eyes a few times to recover from the blinding light, Adonis slowly lowered his arms and looked around. It took him a few seconds to readjust to the dim lighting of the night sky, and the first thing he saw...</p><p>Was Terra standing a good fifty feet away from him; worryingly, her eyes were now glowing a brilliant yellow color... the same way they'd been glowing when she'd threatened to shake the entire chemical plant down to its foundation.</p><p>Despite having been literally upside down and turned around by this pair of psychos, Adonis knew that that could not be a good sign. He quickly began to backpedal, desperate to get further away from the deranged elementalist.</p><p>Unfortunately, he only made it a few steps before Terra lifted her hands high above her head in a grand gesture and yelled out:</p><p>"<em>STONAMI</em>!"</p><p>The result, though sadly predictable, was still ridiculously impressive. Even as the earth tore itself to pieces, rising into a colossal wave of stone and dirt which bore down on him with terrifying speed, Adonis had only time to mutter-</p><p>"Oh, <em>sh</em>-"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>It took Ryouga a few minutes to dig up most of Adonis, but the big lug was pretty much right where Terra said he would be. Taking a second to toss another sizeable boulder off the pinned criminal, the martial artist knelt beside Adonis and offered him a fanged grin.</p><p>Adonis, rubble covering everything but his chest and face, glared back up at him blearily. The shoulder of the criminal's suit gave off a high-pitched whine and shuddered for a second before grinding to a halt once more.</p><p>"You think burying me is gonna stop me?" the entombed villain barked. "As soon as I reroute power in my suit, I'm gonna break outta this dirt pile and beat you into paste!"</p><p>Ryouga found himself shaking his head sadly. "So much strength, and not an iota of self control. If you weren't such a jackass, I could probably sympathize. As it is, though-"</p><p>Leaning over the martial artist carefully rested his hands onto the bulky chest plate of Adonis' armor, setting all his weight on his fingertips, all spread out equidistantly.</p><p>Adonis stared at him incredulously. "What are you up to? Gonna molest me into submission? You should already <em>know</em> that you aren't strong enough to hurt me <em>- no one </em>is as strong as Adonis!"</p><p>Ryouga scowled darkly at that. He leaned forward, bringing his face only a few inches away from the villain's. "Didn't Terra already go over this part? Strength isn't everything. After all, if it was, would I be able to do <em>this</em>?"</p><p>And suddenly, Ryouga twisted his hands - and relished the shocked expression on Adonis' face as the entire chest plate crumpled up like a crushed beer can. His fingers sank into the collapsed metal easily, and with a savage tug, Ryouga tore the slab of armor right off and tossed it to the side. He then gleefully reached in and grabbed the human inside by the front of his jumpsuit and pulled him right out of the damn mechanical suit.</p><p>The martial artist snickered mercilessly at the slender figure of the young man he now held up. "Now, Mr. <em>Adonis</em>, why don't you show me just how strong you <em>really</em> are?"</p><p>Ryouga gave the slim villain a little shake, but for the first time that night, Adonis had nothing to say. Instead, the cowed criminal hung his head and did his best to avoid eye contact. Smirking to himself, Ryouga shook his head. "Yeah, that's kind of what I thought."</p><p>And with that, he flung the armorless Adonis through the air, only for him to be caught in a stone fist a moment later.</p><p>Ryouga turned to glance at Terra, the young geokinetic beaming a smile for all the world to see as she held her hand up to mimic the stone fist that held their new prisoner.</p><p>"Well, my young student, it was a bit touch and go there for a bit, but it looks like we pulled it off in the end."</p><p>Terra nodded excitedly. "I <em>know</em>, right? We sucked it up pretty bad back there, but once we actually tried working together, it was cake!"</p><p>A deep blush tinted Ryouga's cheeks at that. "Um... yeah, well, I'm kinda use to fighting on my own... So, in a way, I guess this was a bit of a lesson for both of us."</p><p>His apprentice rolled her eyes in amusement before nodding. "Don't worry, I can sympathize. Still... Did we pass, or what?"</p><p>Ryouga looked to the imprisoned Adonis, then back to the chemical plant - still standing and not missing a single major structure - then back to Terra once more. A broad smile than pasted itself on his face.</p><p>"You're damn right we did!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Robin allowed a satisfied smile to settle on his face as he watched the rest of his team congratulate Terra and Ryouga on their well-deserved victory. To one side, Beast Boy and Terra were hopping up and down, holding hands and squealing like a pair of schoolgirls. On the other side, Cyborg was talking animatedly with Ryouga. And in the middle, Starfire was floating back and forth between the two pairs, offering congratulations with joyous abandon.</p><p>To his side, Raven had her hood pulled down tightly, he suspected in a vain attempt to hide the tiny little smile which quirked up the corner of her lips. Robin leaned in closer to the cloaked girl, his smile growing. "Looks like they did good, didn't they?"</p><p>The violet haired girl replied with a shallow nod.</p><p>"You know, I don't think anyone would think it amiss for you to wander over and say a word or two."</p><p>At that, Raven all but impaled him with a flat glance. "I'd prefer to do that later, if you don't mind, when I don' t have to compete with... that."</p><p>With a roll of her wrist, Raven gestured to the rather amusing sight of Cyborg, practically in tears, shaking Ryouga by the shoulders.</p><p>"Ryo, man, what the heck was that last move you did! That - that's just not fair, dude, you can't just destroy armor like that!"</p><p>Ryouga chuckled menacingly, holding up a single finger in a very telling manner. "Oh, but I can, Cy. You didn't think I was gonna leave things as they were after our last fight, did you?"</p><p>"But... but how, man?" Cyborg asked urgently.</p><p>Ryouga considered the request... then shrugged. "You know what... I'll tell you later. I want to see you stew on that one for a bit before I spoil the surprise."</p><p>Robin just shook his head at the crestfallen expression which settled on the cyborg's face, then switched his attention back to Terra and Beast Boy's enthusiastic 'discussion.'</p><p>"I did it, Beast Boy, I really did it!"</p><p>"I knew you could do it, Terra, I totally knew it!"</p><p>"You really thought I could do it!"</p><p>"Are you kidding? Of course I knew you could do it!"</p><p>"Ahhh, Beast Boy! That's so sweet!"</p><p>Thankfully, before Robin could descend into a fit of diabetic shock, Terra leaned forward and crushed the lucky green teen into a tight hug before planting a chaste little kiss on his cheek, obviously caught up in the moment.</p><p>All threat of intelligent discussion from that area quickly died as Beast Boy was reduced to a gibbering pile of blissful putty in Terra's hands and the poor girl was left trying to figure out how to prop him up somehow.</p><p>At the sight, Raven rolled her eyes and began to drift back towards the T-Car. "I'll make certain that Adonis isn't going anywhere. Try to wrap things up here, would you? It's getting cold out, you know?"</p><p>Robin nodded and was about to reply... when suddenly his communicator began beeping. He looked at the device for a moment, then looked up to double check that all his teammates were, indeed present, then back to the communicator. There weren't that many other people with communicators, and he doubted any of them would call unless it was an emergency.</p><p>Flipping it open quickly, Robin was surprised to see Kasumi's face in the tiny screen. Certainly, she had a communicator, but he didn't recall her ever using it before.</p><p>"Hey, Kasumi. Is there something wrong back at the tower?"</p><p>The older brunette smiled brightly and gave a tiny wave of her hand to ward off his concern. "No, no, not at all. I was just wondering if your little fight was going to be done soon, or not. You see, I just received a video from someone that I think everyone might want to see..."</p><p>Robin raised a curious eyebrow at the news.</p><p>"It was sent by a nice man calling himself Mr.... 'Batman', was it?"</p><p></p><div class="ms-editor-squiggler">
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The T-Car sped down the freeway, carrying its triumphant passengers home from a job well done. Robin had already left them far behind, speeding back on his R-Cycle, but the driver of this vehicle felt like enjoying the cruise back to the Tower. After all, with Adonis locked up, Terra happier than he'd seen her in quite some time, and an all-around great outing, there was only one thing that seemed appropriate now.</p><p>"My <em>man</em>, that was the greatest <em>ever</em>!" Cyborg bellowed at the top of his cybernetically enhanced lungs. He then held out his fist to the guy sitting in the passenger seat beside him.</p><p>Looking more than a bit sheepish, Ryouga obliged and met the proffered fist with one of his own. "Just so you know, Terra did most of the real work out there."</p><p>"Yeah," Terra chimed in, "Ryouga was just my assistant, kinda like my super heroic secretary, y'know?"</p><p>Instantly, Beast Boy and Starfire, sitting on opposite sides of the slight Titan, in the back of the car, burst into laughter. Ryouga, on the other hand, crossed his arms over his chest and began to pout. Raven, as usual, simply stared out the window as they cruised down the motorway.</p><p>Smile growing even wider, Cyborg nodded enthusiastically. "Aw, c'mon, Terra. You know you're my girl!" Then, in a somewhat reckless manner, he reached behind his head, offering his fist to her as well. "C'mon, gimme a pound!"</p><p>Laughing merrily, Terra bounced her fist off his with a dull clank before leaning back into her seat and snuggling back in between Beast Boy and Starfire. To her side, though, the Tamaranean Titan adopted an expression of reflection. Tapping her chin with a long finger, she caught Cyborg's gaze in the rear-view mirror.</p><p>"But, Cyborg, are not Raven and myself also 'your girls?'"</p><p>"Hmph, speak for yourself," cut in the bird named hero in question, prompting Cyborg to chuckle in amusement.</p><p>"Don't sweat it, Star. You're all my top girls. Ain't no one in the city better!"</p><p>"Dude! Would you quit suckin' up to the girls and get us home already? It's crowded back here, y'know? Speaking of which, why the heck did Ryo get shotgun, anyway? I totally called it!"</p><p>To Cyborg, Beast Boy's complaint bordered on the heretical, considering the green teen was sandwiched enviably between <em>Starfire</em> and <em>Terra</em> of all people. Taking something so precious for granted obviously deserved punishment.</p><p>"What'chya talkin' about, BB? Law of Necessity trumps Shotgun." Cyborg smirked broadly as he gestured to Ryouga and himself. "In the front seats you got the big, manly men, who take up a lot of space with their big, manly muscles. In the back we got all the people with slender, feminine physiques, allowing us to fit more people in comfortably, y'see?"</p><p>Heedless of the merciless giggling abounding on both sides of him, Beast Boy slowly nodded to himself. "Hmm, yeah, I guess that - <em>hey</em>! Wait a second! <em>I'm</em> back here, dude!"</p><p>For the first time since the drive began, Raven cracked a smile. "How <em>do</em> you keep that girlish figure of yours, Beast Boy? You'll have to share your diet with the rest of us."</p><p>Eyes dancing with mirth, Starfire nodded along. "Indeed, dear friend. You simply <em>must</em> accompany us on our next sojourn to the parlor of feminine aesthetics!"</p><p>"<em>Grrr</em>. Quite it already! I ain't no girl!"</p><p>Something about the green teen's cry amused even Ryouga, as he began to chuckle. "He's complaining like Ranma. Now even I'm convinced there are some feminine side issues here."</p><p>"Awww!" moaned Beast Boy. "Not you too, Ryo. Usually, you got the sense of humor of a storm trooper!"</p><p>Before Ryouga even had the chance to figure out if he should be offended or not, Terra dropped a reassuring hand on Beast Boy's shoulder.</p><p>"Don't worry about them, BB. <em>I </em>still think you're a hunk."</p><p>Raven gave a wry chuckle. "A hunk of wha-"</p><p>"<em>Annnnyway</em>!" Cyborg cut in, quite heroically, really. "All in favor of changing the subject, raise your hands!"</p><p>Immediately, Ryouga's and Beast Boy's hands shot up with Cyborg's. Upon seeing the unanimous consent, he nodded to himself. "Alright, and the guys have it."</p><p>"Wait a second!"</p><p>"<em>Excuse</em> me?"</p><p>"But the voting was tied..."</p><p>Ignoring the annoyed stares coming from the back seat, the cybernetic teen turned to Ryouga. "So, Ryo, when the heck are you gonna start using the T-Brella? I mean, I slaved over a hot particle accelerator to make that thing, and you're totin' around some old Mary Poppin's style junk. I'm gonna start feeling insulted soon, man."</p><p>The lost boy held up the umbrella in question, examining the ebony implement carefully. "I'm sorry, Cyborg. It's nothing against the T-Brella. I just didn't think I would need that kind of firepower tonight, is all. We were just out on a standard patrol when all this started."</p><p>From behind Ryouga's seat, Starfire issued a rather loud 'humph'. "I believe that you should cease your use of that... archaic umbrella as soon as possible."</p><p>Terra's head quickly bobbed up and down in agreement. "Yeah… I think Cyborg's umbrella would suit you better. Don't you, Ryouga?"</p><p>For some reason, the Lost Boy began to squirm in his seat, at least until Beast Boy suddenly leaned forward.</p><p>"Don't listen to those guys, Ryo! I like the vintage model way better!"</p><p>The air was blasted from the green teen's lungs a second later when, out of nowhere, Terra elbowed the changeling in the ribs.</p><p>"You do <em>not</em>! There's no <em>way</em> you can like that umbrella more than Cyborg's!"</p><p>"What?" Beast Boy wheezed, staring at the girl like she was crazy. "Of course I can. The classic model rocks. You know what I'm talkin' about, right Raven?"</p><p>The dark Titan started slightly from her window gazing, apparently surprised to be consulted on such an… important topic. Giving the question some actual thought, Raven then proceeded to shrug.</p><p>"I hate to agree with Beast Boy, but… well, it's black. Are you really that surprised?"</p><p>"No, friends! You do not understand," Starfire implored in earnest, "Ryouga's current umbrella is most ba-"</p><p>"<em>Okay</em>, okay, I get it!" Ryouga threw his hands up helplessly. "I promise, the next big emergency we get, I'll bring the T-Brella, alright?"</p><p>Cyborg nodded, smiling broadly. Sure, it was a bit odd that Terra and Star were looking even more satisfied with the response than himself, but he just chalked it up to how awesome the T-Brella was. Who wouldn't want to see it in action?</p><p>The strong opinions also seemed to have left Beast Boy and Raven looking more than a little confused, but, really, that wasn't Cyborg's problem.</p><p>…and speaking of Cyborg's problems.</p><p>"Okay, seriously man, you gotta tell me how you pulled off that trick where you pulled Adonis' armor off."</p><p>Instantly, Beast Boy was hovering between them again, excitement on his face. "Yeah, dude, that was like, seventy percent as awesome as Terra's 'Stonami'! …Maybe sixty five percent."</p><p>"Awwww, you," preened Terra.</p><p>"I mean," the changeling continued, "You were living, eating, and breathing Bakusai Tenketsu for over a month, man. Even <em>I </em>know that it's not supposed to work on metal, rubber, or anything with a comparatively elastic ki flow capable of compensating for the influx of energy."</p><p>He was met by five very blank stares.</p><p>"…What? I can learn things too, y'know!"</p><p>Giving his head a quick shake, Ryouga eventually nodded. "Good memory, Beast Boy. I tried it quite a few times while I was working on Terra, but the B.T. just doesn't work properly on metal. Unlike, say, stone, steel and most of its alloys are extremely hard, but also very tough."</p><p>"Tough like Clint Eastwood?" Terra asked with an impish smirk.</p><p>Cyborg stared at the girl incredulously through the rear-view. "Girl, you aren't even old enough to know that name! And no, he means that steel is highly resistant to sudden shocks, which is indicative of high energy transference."</p><p>It was Cyborg's turn to be graced with blank stares.</p><p>Rolling his one organic eye, Cyborg gestured meaninglessly with his free hand. "Look at it like this. You hit a rock with a hammer, it shatters. You hit a block of metal with a hammer, it barely even leaves a mark."</p><p>Ryouga nodded in agreement. "Often, steel is hardened in a furnace by raising it above its critical temperature. This makes it extremely hard, but also more brittle. So, manufacturers concerned with sharp impacts, such as powered armor producers, will then temper the metal to increase its toughness again."</p><p>"That's right, Ryo. The reason for that is that the grain structure of steel while in its Austenitic phase, just after it's been hardened is very rough and full of stresses. After tempering, the grain structure is reformed into Martensite, which possesses a much finer grain structure."</p><p>Now actively talking pretty much directly to each other, the duo didn't even notice the swirling, confused looks on the faces of their back seat friends.</p><p>"Exactly," Ryouga replied excitedly. "That was one of the problems I was having when I was trying to apply the original B.T. to steel. The grain structure is so fine, and the energy transference properties of the material were so high that it made it exceedingly difficult to locate the breaking points, or to actually apply enough energy to any given point to detonate them."</p><p>Cyborg nodded back. "I noticed this latest variation didn't involve just blowing the guy's armor up. How did you overcome the grain structure problem?"</p><p>Ryouga shrugged. "I didn't, really. Using the standard technique, the most I could accomplish was just flooding the metal with ki, in essence burning out all the breaking points. The process is slow, though, so it just resulted in melting the metal."</p><p>"Not exactly something you want to do in a fight," Cyborg noted, sounding a tad worried.</p><p>The fanged fighter nodded again. "Far too dangerous to use on someone like Adonis. Also, the stronger and more exotic the metal, the more energy it takes, so it becomes unusable against anything too tough anyway." Shrugging sadly at lost opportunities, he continued, "Even when I finally progressed to the point that I could see the breaking points in steel - not too long after I learned how to differentiate between Terra's aura and the ground's aura, damn tricky, that - the amount of power to actually overcome the structural strength of the material would be just as dangerous to me as to the metal." Ryouga held up his index finger and studied it. "Flooding that much ki through my fingertip would probably blow my entire hand off. Not to mention the idea of having a piece of super hard, exotic alloy exploding in my face didn't exactly seem like a good idea, either. Not liking either of those prospects, I decided to approach the entire concept from a different angle. A little research put me on the right path. I just had to think… smaller."</p><p>All at once, a light bulb went off in Cyborg's head - not literally this time, though - and he slapped a hand to his forehead. "D'oy! The atoms in metals join to form a <em>crystalline</em> lattice! How did I miss something so basic? You aren't trying to detonate the metal along planes of weakness, you're fracturing the crystalline structure of the metal to-"</p><p>"Induce metal fatigue!" Ryouga finished excitedly.</p><p>The titanium Titan couldn't stop himself from bursting out into laughter. "Oh man, that explains <em>so</em> much. Especially why you were poking the guy to death back there, yo! You must have had to hit hundreds of… fatigue points, I guess you'd call'em, to get any appreciable effect."</p><p>"Well over a thousand, and that was just to weaken the structural integrity of the chest plate for me to deform the metal with my normal strength. "</p><p>Nodding to himself, Cyborg was already considering the implications. "…Wait. Holy crap, Ryo! Do you know what this means? You've figured out how to attack metal on the <em>atomic</em> level! How the heck am I supposed to develop a defense against that!"</p><p>The evil chuckle Ryouga replied with didn't instill the cybernetic teen with confidence, at least until the fanged boy shook his head in bemusement. "I don't think you need to worry about it too much yet, Cy. The precision and focus I require to pull that off successfully in a fight is like trying to conduct brain surgery with mittens on." The Lost Boy then offered up a fanged smirk. "For someone as weak as you, it's just plain easier to beat you the old-fashioned way."</p><p>"Ha! I think someone forgot the result of our <em>last</em> grudge match. Isn't that right… guys?" Cyborg's question died on his lips as he looked into the back seat.</p><p>To a man - woman, actually - everyone in the back seat was dead to the world, snoring away merrily. Beast Boy and Terra even had matching lines of drool running down their chins as their heads bobbed back and forth with the motion of the T-Car.</p><p>Cyborg and Ryouga shared a quick look before shrugging in unison.</p><p>"Some people just have no respect for honest to goodness intellectual discourse, am I right, Ryo?"</p><p>"I know!" Ryouga replied, exasperated. "Even <em>Ranma</em> was never rude enough to fall asleep when I explained one of my new techniques. I would have thought at least Star would have appreciated our metallurgical discussion."</p><p>"Man, it's too bad, too," Cyborg lamented, " I was gonna try to freak BB out by trying to convince him that you could use your new trick on people too."</p><p>His martially inclined companion laughed quietly to himself, obviously thinking the idea to be funny. "Can you imagine how long it would take to actually explain it to him that this technique is useless on pretty much anything but metal and other similar materials? I mean, it's only the fact that metal atoms don't join to form molecules like most other things that allows the technique to work."</p><p>"Yeah, that makes sense," the larger teen replied. "You can set up a cascade effect in the metal lattice, so that a single burst of energy can spread out, damaging atomic bonds as it travels through the steel. In a person, you'd literally be stuck trying to break them down one molecule at a time."</p><p>"At which point, it just becomes so ridiculous it's not even worth considering," Ryouga concluded.</p><p>"Still… would'a been funny, but, hey, what can ya do, man?"</p><p>"I dunno… draw on their faces?"</p><p>The titanium Titan wiped away a tear of pride. "Dude, you have come so far under my tutelage! Who should we hit first, though? BB, or Raven?"</p><p>"Touch me, and your suffering will be eternal."</p><p>With a start, both boys spun around to stare at the speaker. Raven hadn't even bothered to open her eyes, her head still resting against the window, but the aura of menace emanating from her was palpable.</p><p>Cyborg tried to stay quiet, he really did, but within seconds his will eroded and he leaned over to whisper to Ryouga.</p><p>"Yo, is it just me, or is it totally hot when Raven talks like that?"</p><p>"…I'm pretty sure it's just you."</p><p>"You are aware that I can still hear both of you, right?"</p><p>Instantly, Cyborg and Ryouga proceeded to stare straight ahead with deadly intensity and begun to whistle innocently with an impressive amount of harmony.</p><p>Needless to say, the rest of the trip back to the tower passed in relative silence.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The rhythmic tapping of thick heels against the building face created a soothing background noise to accompany the beautiful view of the city. It was an odd sight, and one that Jinx wouldn't have associated with the city of Gotham after spending an hour or so trotting through its septic system… But Gotham had a lovely skyline. It was just the perfect capstone to the horrible night she had just endured. She only wished it could last forever -</p><p>Stabbing pain shot up her arm and Jinx turned to look up with a furious squawk.</p><p>"Hey! What the heck are you doing, Bats? Am I not already in enough pain?"</p><p>The bat themed hero in question appeared utterly unmoved by her plight as he double checked the syringe he had just jabbed her with. "Antibiotics. I know the hazards of fighting in a sewer. Trust me, you'll be thanking me later."</p><p>Jinx considered arguing, if only for argument's sake, but considering how warm and cozy she was feeling all wrapped up in the bilious cloak he'd been kind enough to lend her, she just couldn't bring herself to do it.</p><p>So, instead she replied in a sing song voice, "<em>Thank you, Batman</em>."</p><p>"That's my polite young Disciple!" Happosai crowed boisterously. Sitting on her other side, the ancient master was smoking away on his pipe as he leaned back, a wide smile on his face. "Words can hardly convey how I feel about your performance, Jinx."</p><p>The young sorceress giggled in amusement, giving herself a little hug. "Really? How about 'Proud', or 'Amazed', or 'I'm taking you out for ice cream because you were so mind blowingly <em>wowful</em>!"</p><p>Batman eyed her critically. "Wowful?"</p><p>Happosai tapped his pipe against the roof to empty it as he considered her suggestions. "Hmm, actually, I was thinking more along the lines of 'Disappointing', 'Embarrassing to watch', and 'I hope Cologne never gets a copy of the video, or I'll never live down the shame'!"</p><p>"<em>What</em>! You - you crotchety old man! I was awesome out there! What fight were you watching?"</p><p>"The one where you were showing off like a rodeo clown, that's the one I was watching. Dropping yourself in the sewer like that? And letting that weakling lay a finger on you? I might as well have trained a rock for all you learned!"</p><p>"Oh! Oh, you…!" Jinx's cheeks began to burn with righteous fury.</p><p>The Dark Knight could only shake his head in disbelief. It was hard to believe that this girl had been a stone-cold criminal. It was even harder to believe that this ancient old man and this young woman might have been the very same pair that had been spreading terror and confusion through cities like Bludhaven and Metropolis over the past few months. Seeing them act like this, overt fondness hidden just below a veneer of shameless teasing…</p><p>"You did good in taking down Killer Croc, Jinx," Batman finally stated in between the bickering. "But your choice to fight him at all was incredibly reckless. You were fortunate that you weren't killed."</p><p>"Aww," Jinx cooed, "Batman was worried about me! I bet you wouldn't have actually let Croc finish me off, would you?"</p><p>Before the detective had a chance to reply, Happi jumped in between them. "Hey! I was worried about you too! In fact, if this little punk hadn't kept attacking me, I would have been down in that sewer a second after you!"</p><p>A second's glance up at the capeless crusader gave Jinx all the confirmation she needed in the form of a perfectly flat expression.</p><p>"Riiiiight, Happi. Suuure ya would'a." A second later, she looked up to Batman again. "Say, you wouldn't happen to be in the market for a sidekick, would ya? Unlike your last one, I'm already potty trained, and I work for peanuts… literally, Happi, like, never feeds me!"</p><p>The Dark Knight managed to stifle his chuckle at her reference to Robin but couldn't stop himself from smiling at the look of betrayal on the ancient martial artist's face.</p><p>"Jinx! You're already being trained by the preeminent martial artist on the planet! How could you forsake me for this-" Happi gestured to the Batman incredulously. "-This rank amateur?"</p><p>"Rank amateur?" The detective repeated, a touch insulted.</p><p>"Oh, come on, can you blame me? I mean, it's the Goddamn Batman! -' Realizing what she'd just said in front of the man himself, Jinx quickly backpedaled. "-Um - ahem - Pardon my French, sir…"</p><p>They stern look on the hero's face held for a moment, before finally softening. Giddy again, Jinx kicked her heels off the building face. "I couldn't even say it's the villainous equivalent of working for Luthor, cuz there <em>is</em> no villainous equivalent for working for the Batman! He's a legend, he's been kicking butt since before I was in diapers!"</p><p>"Feh, and I was already doing <em>that</em> while his <em>grandparents</em> were still in theirs!"</p><p>"Oh, don't be such an old fuddy-duddy, Happi! We were gonna take a break from training to head to Steel City after this, anyway."</p><p>She quickly turned back to Batman, bouncing up to her feet. Clasping her hands in front of her, she leveled her absolute best attempt at the Puppy Dog Pout in the detective's direction.</p><p>"<em>Please</em>, Mr. The Batman. Let me team up with you for a bit. We already got matching costumes-" She held out her arms, spreading the wide cape she now wore. "-And just imagine what it would do for my reputation!"</p><p>"Imagine what it would do for <em>my</em> reputation," The Batman fired back. "Besides, I prefer to avoid working with criminals whenever possible."</p><p>Jinx quirked an eyebrow. "Oh <em>really</em>? Then how do you explain that crime against all fashion that is Robin?"</p><p>The Dark Knight didn't respond, simply glanced down at her own shredded, mismatched costume tellingly.</p><p>The sorceress hastily drew the cape in around her to cover her outfit. "Hey, I'm totally working this cape combo and you know it. Besides, I'm like ninety percent reformed… eighty five percent. Anyway, I'm barely a crook at all."</p><p>"There's a large difference between <em>barely</em> a criminal and <em>not</em> a criminal." The tone in his voice was surprisingly light, as if he were trying to hide his amusement at the situation. Still, things weren't looking good.</p><p>Thinking quickly, Jinx's finger shot up. "Aha! But think about it, The Batman. If I worked with you, even for a bit, I'd never be able to work with another villain again. My evil rep would be shot."</p><p>"Unless, of course, she betrayed you in some epic and tragic way," Happosai offered helpfully.</p><p>"<em>Happi</em>, shut up! I'm workin' here."</p><p>To her amazement, Batman seemed to be considering her words. "That does make a bit of sense. And, I suppose that having a positive role model for a few days couldn't hurt someone so far along in their 'rehabilitation'."</p><p>Jinx's catlike eyes widened into large saucers of strawberry milk. She was about a second away from 'squeeing' in a most embarrassing fashion, when he suddenly raised a hand to forestall her.</p><p>"There will be conditions, though. Most notably, no criminal activity of any kind."</p><p>The sorceress scratched her head. "Wait, isn't vigilantism still illegal for the most part?"</p><p>It was amusing to watch the Dark Knight roll his eyes through his cowl. "Excepting that, of course."</p><p>"Now wait just a minute!" Happi leapt in between them, suddenly seeming much larger than his height would indicate. "What makes you think I'm just going to let you take my favorite disciple and pollute her mind for even a minute?"</p><p>Sighing wearily, Jinx pulled out her small purse and, with a wince, snapped it open. She then proceeded to pull out a small roll of bills she had been saving up for a much-needed spa day. Though it pained her more than Croc's bear hug, she handed the cash to her master.</p><p>"Here, master, consider it a present. You've been working so hard lately. Why don't you treat yourself to a nice bender for a few days and then we can meet up before we head out?"</p><p>The money disappeared in a flash, and a beaming smile appeared on his withered face. The idea of a good booze-soaked sojourn seemed like just the perfect reward for his efforts.</p><p>Even as Happosai prepared to leap off the roof, Batman, wide eyed, suddenly called out. "Wait! I think we can work out a bargain here. I'll take care of Jinx for the next two or three days, food and shelter inclusive, and provide her transport to Steel City afterwards."</p><p>Jinx giggled ecstatically. She'd almost forgotten what food and shelter were. Happi, on the other hand, looked suspicious. "That's awfully generous, detective. And what do I have to do to pay for such an agreement?"</p><p>Batman's eyes narrowed.</p><p>"Get out of my city."</p><p>The ancient master stared at Batman for a moment… then another -</p><p>"Bwhahahahaha! Well played, Detective, well played." With that, Happi leapt onto the ledge, only to look back at Jinx one last time. "You made me proud today, Jinx, very proud.  Though, I have to say, that was an awfully mean joke you played right at the end there."</p><p>Jinx donned her patented Cheshire grin. "You know you loved it, Happi. Now, have fun and I'll see you in a few days."</p><p>With a final nod, the Grandmaster of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts leapt off the roof and vanished into the morning dawn.</p><p>Jinx had to blink several times as the rays of the rising sun finally reached her pink hued eyes. After spending so long in the dark, it felt… good to finally see the light again.</p><p>The sorceress shook her head furiously.</p><p>"Blech! I think I just thought a stupid <em>good guy </em>metaphor!"</p><p>For the first time since she met him - roughly twenty minutes ago - Jinx heard the Batman laugh, well, more of a quiet chuckle, really… an almost inaudible snicker? She could'a sworn he'd made some kinda sound, but the guy was so damn inscrutable... A moment later, he dropped a strong hand on her shoulder. "It happens to the best of us.  …I would like to know, though. I'm not exactly certain what Happosai was talking about. What joke did you play on Croc?"</p><p>Jinx tittered to herself. "Oh, the joke wasn't on Croc. Let's just say that it was something of an international inside joke. I'm sure it'll be making the rounds soon enough."</p><p>Her temporary mentor stared at her oddly for a moment, so she shrugged. "<em>Anyway</em>! I could have sworn someone mentioned taking me out for ice cream, on account of how awesome I am." She made sure to flick her eyelashes quickly as she said it.</p><p>The corner of the Dark Knight's mouth quirked up into a grin. "Actually, I think we should get right to the training. Happosai was right, you were an absolute mess out there."</p><p>"<em>Ohhhhh</em>!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The elevator ride up to the main room of the tower was filled with excited chatter. All around Raven, her friends continued to laugh and joke, sometimes enacting a few of the more memorable moments of the earlier fight to garner more laughs.</p><p>Beast Boy's attempted re-enactment of Ryouga falling ten or so stories with Adonis had nearly ended in hilarious tragedy.</p><p>The wave of friendship and joy settled over the dark Titan like a warm blanket. Having everyone so close to her, and so happy was a heady experience. Despite her staunchest efforts, she could feel a small smile tugging up at the corner of her lips. She was almost to tempted to join in with the jocularity.</p><p>Almost. She did have a reputation to maintain, after all.</p><p>Above the door, the flashing number quickly approached the intended floor, and in a matter of moments, the door would open and disgorge them from its clutches. Silently, Raven steeled her resolve. She had waited patiently at the chemical plant, patiently on the car ride home, and patiently on the way up the tower, but now she would finally be able to get Ryouga somewhere so she could privately congratulate him.</p><p>Not just for the battle, but for all the hard work he had done on their behalf. For doing something that Raven knew would have been impossible for herself: giving Terra the confidence to at least <em>try</em> to control her powers better.</p><p>The violet eyed Titan could still scarcely believe how far Terra had progressed under his tutelage. Her control obviously still needed work, judging by those tremors earlier, but the fiery determination she had developed in tackling the issue was without precedent.</p><p>It was odd, now that she thought of it. Ryouga had joined the team to take her own place while she recovered from her injuries. In all that time here, he had barely gone on a handful of patrols, had only fought two criminals of note… yet he had done more for the Titans] than she could ever even imagine repaying.</p><p>He was supposed to have been a new heavy hitter, and yet he had ended up becoming the Titan's resident problem solver. She doubted that any of his friends back in Nerima would have possibly foreseen that development.</p><p>With a pleasant chime, the elevator doors slid open and everyone began to exit. Moving just a bit hastily herself, Raven exited the car and, in a very forward act for her, wrapped a hand around Ryouga's elbow to stop him from walking into the kitchenette with everyone else.</p><p>Though the boy could have easily dragged her across the room without even noticing, he quickly turned to look at her, a tinge of confusion on his face.</p><p>"Fighting the urge to pull her hood down further to cover her eyes, the cloaked Titan soldiered on. "Ryouga… I was wondering… wondering if I could talk to you?"</p><p>An amused grin spread across his fanged face. "You can talk to me whenever you want, Raven. You're doing it right now, even."</p><p>Raven rolled her eyes. "I think you and Cyborg have been hanging out <em>far</em> too much lately," she muttered. She followed with, "I meant <em>privately</em>."</p><p>Ryouga's eyes widened in sudden realization. In an instant, she could see crimson colour creeping up his face as his imagination took a simple invitation and started running a marathon with it.</p><p>With fond annoyance, she swatted him gently upside the head - though she probably could have clobbered him with the fridge to similar effect - and shook her head. "I just wanted to thank-"</p><p>"Ryouga, Raven!" Robin's voice cut through the mood like some kind of mood killing chainsaw. Raven grit her teeth as Ryouga instantly turned to see what Robin wanted. Why did <em>something</em> always interrupt her when she was trying to do anything these days?</p><p>"You two are going to want to see this," Robin explained from across the room. He then gestured for them to join the rest of the Titans, all gathered around the main monitor of the T-Computer.</p><p>With a world-weary sigh, Raven began to float over. "What is it?" she asked evenly.</p><p>"It's regarding the message from Batman. He sent us a link to a news report from Gotham city."</p><p>"So, what's the big deal?" Cyborg asked, perplexed. "They aren't raising some kinda Robin statue, are they? Cuz, let's face it, your ego is outta control enough as it is."</p><p>Even as everyone else burst into laughter, Robin met their mirth with a flat, deadpan tone. "My ego is not out of control. And the report is about an old friend of ours-" He gestured tellingly to Ryouga, "Or, more to the point, and old friend of yours."</p><p>"Mine? What, did Akane mallet Ranma to Gotham on account of him saying something idiotic?"</p><p>Instantly, Raven smirked and nudged the Lost Boy. "See, even though you make fun of him, Ranma is the first person you think of when you hear the word 'friend'."</p><p>"N-no he isn't! I was thinking of Akane, that's it! Ranma and I aren't friends!"</p><p>Raven just smiled knowingly.</p><p>"Yeah, Ranma's a jerk, anyway!"</p><p>Everyone paused at that, and then turned to regard the speaker.</p><p>Terra dug her toe into the carpet, looking down bashfully at the sudden scrutiny. "Well, he is…"</p><p>"Terra, you are the only person in this tower that has never even met Ranma. Why would you possibly say something like that?" Raven asked a bit testily.</p><p>"What can I say?" Ryouga cut in, stepping beside Terra. He then dropped a hand on the girl's shoulder, causing Terra to instantly start beaming. "The girl is a quick learner."</p><p>A bark of laughter came from the resident Cyborg. "Dude, we told you to teach her how to fight, not turn her into a Ryo-Clone!"</p><p>Ryouga shrugged helplessly. "Hey, I teach what I know… And I know Ranma is a jerk. What kind of person would I be if I didn't pass on important knowledge like that?"</p><p>"A gracious one," Raven replied quickly.</p><p>"Oh, that hurt, Raven."</p><p>"Besides, Star makes fun of Ranma all the time, too," Terra stated forcefully. "If <em>she</em> doesn't like him, then he must be, like, the biggest jerk in the history of jerkdom!"</p><p>A light blush tinged the alien girl's cheeks as Raven turned a dark look her way. "That is… not exactly true, friend Terra. My perceived dislike of the Ranma Saotome is largely for Ryouga's benefit."</p><p>"Huh?" replied more person than one.</p><p>"Ryouga takes great joy in his rivalry with his dear friend, Ranma-"</p><p>"Oh, come <em>on</em>!"</p><p>"-So, I chose to play along with his game. In truth, Ranma is quite amusing. In fact, during our days of captivity in the medical bay following the destruction of the HIVE academy-"</p><p>"Ah, Starfire," Kasumi began hesitantly. Starfire quickly turned to her, at which point the Tendo woman continued. "I'm not certain that 'captivity' is the word you meant to use."</p><p>Starfire nodded amiably. "Of course. I did not mean to offend." She then turned back to the rest of the Titans. "During the days we were held prisoner by the Nurse Lord Kasumi, Ranma taught me much concerning the application of and theory behind the Soaring Dragon Ascends to the Heavens Wave."</p><p>Kasumi let out a rare sigh. "…Captivity is fine, on second thought."</p><p>The loud clearing of Robin's throat brought the quickly slipping focus back to the group.</p><p>"Are you guys done yet? I want to get Ryouga's opinion on this video. I'm not exactly sure what all the ramifications of this development could be."</p><p>Without any further explanation, Robin hit a button on the keyboard and the video began to play.</p><p>A shot of the Gotham port filled the screen. The image was shaky and from high up, obviously recorded from a helicopter. The shot seemed to wander aimlessly for a moment, before centering in on what appeared to be a large hole in the center of the street.</p><p>Beast Boy let out a low whistle. "Man, I'd hate to run into the brute that made that hole."</p><p>Robin smirked knowingly, "You're about to, in three… two… one-"</p><p>Right on cue, a different section of the street erupted in a brilliant column of pink flame.</p><p>Instantly, Raven's eyes widened in recognition. "Noooo…"</p><p>Apparently Ryouga drew the same conclusion, as he suddenly leaned forward, nearly blocking the monitor completely.</p><p>On the screen, a grey figure slammed to the pavement several seconds after the explosion. The large person appeared to be wearing little more than a pair of tattered jeans and a strange pair of tribal tattoos on his scaly chest.</p><p>"Who <em>is</em> that?" Terra asked, sounding repulsed.</p><p>"Killer Croc," Robin replied matter of factly, "One of the worst that Gotham has to offer."</p><p>Beast Boy leaned forward, curious. "Soo, <em>he</em> made the hole in the road?"</p><p>"Oh my, no," Kasumi answered. Everyone turned to fire puzzled looks at the tall brunette. In reply, she pointed back to the monitor. "She did."</p><p>The gathered gawkers spun back just in time to see another person leap out of the hole. The view zoomed in on this new arrival as much of the news crew's camera would allow. A second later, they landed in a low crouch.</p><p>And then she stood up, her pink hair blowing dramatically in the wind.</p><p>"Jinx!" Ryouga shouted, half shocked, half ecstatic.</p><p>Cyborg quickly leaned in as well, nearly shoving the Lost Boy out of the way. He then let out a low wolf whistle. "Holy, would you look at her? Jinx is lookin' <em>fine</em>!"</p><p>Beast Boy nodded frantically. "Look at that outfit!" he cried, pointing to the appreciated halter top and skirt she was wearing, very much a departure from her normal conservative costume. "It's like she tossed out half of her dress!"</p><p>At the back of the crowd, Starfire shuffled a bit self consciously.</p><p>"It certainly is revealing," Kasumi added, sounding a tiny bit reproachful.</p><p>Frowning, Starfire grabbed the hem of her skirt and tried to pull it down slightly.</p><p>"It's indecent, is what it is," Raven stated fiercely. "She's dressed like a tramp."</p><p>Cyborg and Beast Boy did pointedly <em>not</em> give Raven the 'look'.</p><p>"Excuse <em>me</em>!" Starfire's sudden outburst startled everyone silly. "Is that how you all perceive my garb?"</p><p>Robin, despite paying the second most attention to the video, spun around, his finely honed senses warning him of danger.</p><p>"No, no, no, Star! <em>No one </em>here thinks anything like that!" He spun to glare at everyone pointedly. "<em>Right</em>, guys?"</p><p>Raven quickly backpedaled, unsure of how she'd let her petty rivalry get the better of her like that. She didn't exactly have a lot of room to maneuver, though.</p><p>"That's - that's right. It's not… not <em>what</em> she's wearing. Its <em>how</em> she's wearing it."</p><p>Cyborg nodded enthusiastically. "Ya got that right. Jinx is wearin' the <em>hell</em> outta those threads!"</p><p>"Cyborg!"</p><p>"Victor!"</p><p>"<em>Please</em>! Everyone be quiet!" The earnest request from Ryouga, who hadn't even turned from the screen to make it, instantly set a pall over the jocularity.</p><p>Raven wasn't sure what she felt when she saw the look of raw concern on the Lost Boy's features as he absorbed every second of footage, analyzed every movement on the screen. Obviously, it was noble of him to be so upset over another's welfare…</p><p>But did it have to be Jinx's welfare?</p><p>Beside her, Terra squinted, studying the screen intently. "Okay, dumb question number two. Who the heck is Jinx, and why are we watching her fight?"</p><p>Robin intervened before Raven could give her own incredibly detailed recounting of Jinx's character -</p><p>What? Ryouga had done it, why couldn't she?</p><p>"You weren't around when we dealt with them, but Jinx was a member of a diabolical academy of villainy. She was one of the worst that <em>we</em> had to offer."</p><p>"Okay… Question number three-"</p><p>"No," Robin pre-empted, "I have no idea why she is fighting another criminal. That's not the most puzzling thing, though. Ryouga, what can you tell me about the fight so far?"</p><p>Eyes narrowed in concentration; the martial artist continued to study the screen as he answered. "Something is odd about how Jinx is fighting. It's like watching a completely different person." He quickly pointed to the screen. "See that Axe kick? That was way beyond a hundred and eighty degree split. Jinx wasn't flexible enough to pull that off before. Heck, I cringe just thinking about doing it myself."</p><p>A wide smile began to form on Cyborg's face, only to have him fold nearly in half, an orange elbow driven deeply into his stomach.</p><p>"S-Star?"</p><p>"Even <em>I </em>was cognizant to what you were thinking." The alien girl rolled her eyes and gave an annoyed 'humph' as Cyborg finished his collapse to the floor.</p><p>Ignoring them, Ryouga continued his analysis. "She actually seems faster and stronger as well, but there's something else. The way she's fighting, the style she's using… It's rough, unrefined, but it's awfully familiar for some reason…"</p><p>"Unrefined?" Terra laughed incredulously. "She's <em>amazing</em>!"</p><p>The slight blonde peered more closely at the figure dancing around the screen. She then looked down, apparently checking something on her shirt. Then, in rapid succession, Terra looked at Starfire, Kasumi, and finally Raven, her face darkening with each glance. With one last look down at whatever was on her own shirt, the young geokinetic suddenly thrust her fist into the air.</p><p>"Go Jinx! Teach that scaly jerk a thing or two!"</p><p>Six sets of shocked eyes suddenly settled on Terra, who seemed to shrink under the scrutiny. "What? Jinx is awesome. I think I'm officially appointing her my new hero… Sorry, Star."</p><p>"But, Terra. She could not possibly be your hero. She is a villain," Starfire explained, sounding a bit hurt and a little concerned.</p><p>"Why would you want to be like <em>Jinx</em>, anyway?" Raven followed up a second later.</p><p>On the ground, Cyborg stifled a mighty guffaw, but wisely held his tongue this time.</p><p>Back in front of the monitor, Ryouga hissed for silence again. "I think things are coming to a close."</p><p>On the screen, Croc and Jinx had just gained some distance from each other, and it looked like the former was preparing to make on last, desperate charge at the young woman.</p><p>A second later, just as expected, Killer Croc began to rush in.</p><p>And then… Jinx snapped her fingers.</p><p>The assembled Titans watched the rest of the fight, a few winces of sympathy here and there…</p><p>And then the fight was over.</p><p>And then <em>it</em> happened.</p><p>And then, Ryouga collapsed to the floor, laughing his ever-loving ass off.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Nabiki idly tapped the mouse again, dragging the eight of hearts to the lie on top of the nine of spades with speed and grace borne of a depressing amount of repetition.</p><p>Around the rest of the makeshift rec room of their hidden base, Mammoth was in the open kitchen, fixing himself a ridiculous sandwich. Billy Numerous was busy doing his designated chores - i.e., all of them - and Gizmo sat on the small couch across from the lounger that Nabiki was curled up in.</p><p>Every little thing began to annoy her during downtime like this. Waiting for Kyd Wykkyd to get back from recon. Mammoth, eating all their food. Billy, being Billy. The uncomfortable warmth of her laptop on her legs and finally, that Gizmo was able to play a game he wanted to, but she wasn't.</p><p>Honestly, she hadn't seen Jinx <em>or</em> Mousse online in forever. They hadn't been able to get a good WoW game going for weeks and it was starting to tick her off.</p><p>With a low sigh, she moved a seven of clubs up to one of the holding spaces, hoping to unbury one of the aces.</p><p>Kunou-baby wasn't talking to her, either. He was still livid about the fact that her crew had managed to pull off their last tech heist. She smirked at that. Gizmo had already reverse engineered the gadget and incorporated it into the latest doohickey he was working on. Hopefully, it would be ready for shelves in a month.</p><p>Considering it hadn't even been a major plan, or involve taking over the city in any way, the samurai wannabe sure was being petty about it. What, did he expect a perfect record? The Kunou's Angels - as Nabiki had started a viral ad campaign to make public knowledge - had already foiled six of her eight plots to date. Stupid heroes didn't know how easy they had it.</p><p>Sure, the bad guys had better toys, more fun, and were better looking…</p><p>She quickly looked around the room again. Then sighed sadly.</p><p>Okay, the bad <em>girls</em> were better looking.</p><p>But the <em>villains</em> were the ones that had to do all the real work. All the plotting and planning. The research and fabrication, the manipulation and implementation. It took a horrendous amount of effort to put a proper scheme together, like crafting a work of art.</p><p>And then, <em>all</em> the hero has to do is blindly stumble in and throw a spanner into the delicate machinations to screw everything up. If she was the Da Vinci of crime, then the Titans were the inbred tourists smudging the painting with their fat fingers going all 'ooh' and 'ahh'.</p><p>And the worst thing - the <em>worst</em> thing - was that smug satisfaction when the heroes won. Like they were <em>so</em> clever, what with the ability to drop through sky lights and disrupt plans that were plotted out to the second.</p><p>'Oh, look at me, I hit people with oversized <em>cookware</em>, aren't I just so amazing?'</p><p>On the bright side, she was slowly beginning to build up that tight little ball of resentment and loathing that all good villains needed. Still, there was no reason for Kunou to be such a jerk about it. It was just business, after all.</p><p>Maybe she should step up her 'Kunou's Angels' campaign; try to get some more risqué pictures of the girls up on some posters. That would drive those heroic smart asses nuts-</p><p>The sudden flashing of her Instant Messenger derailed her spiteful thoughts. It looked like an email, but not to the business account she'd set up. A personal email? Not too many people had this address to be sending her anything. Curious, she clicked it open.</p><p>It was from Jinx! Nabiki wondered what had happened to the girl. She'd been threatening to come visit forever, but then vanished. The absolute tedium made the excitement of the unexpected email disproportionately high, so Nabiki clicked it open quickly. Maybe it would be a racy limerick, or pictures from another sweet rave party.</p><p>It was… a YouTube link?</p><p>Not even a message, just a link. Nabiki felt let down instantly. The pink haired ninny finally gets online, and doesn't even have the decency to entertain Nabiki while she was at her most bored? Still, he had nothing better to do, so she clicked on the link.</p><p>The video which proceeded to play caused Nabiki's eyes to widen and a smile to bloom on her full lips.</p><p>Jinx, fighting Killer Croc? Befuddling.</p><p>Jinx, with a hot new look? Titillating.</p><p>Jinx, fighting like she was a real student of Happosai? Slightly worrying.</p><p>And then… Jinx snapped her fingers.</p><p>Nabiki watched what happened next with the occasional wince of sympathy… until the fight finally ended.</p><p>"…"</p><p>The villainous Tendo nearly dropped her laptop on the floor, bursting out into an uncharacteristic bout of belly laughs. 'Oh, God! No, she didn't!'</p><p>What Jinx had just done? Priceless!</p><p>Even as everyone turned to stare at her, looking at her as if she'd gone insane, Nabiki just laughed harder.</p><p>"Oh - oh man! I <em>have</em> to send this to Kunou!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Kunou did his best to retain his calm demeanor, struggled mightily to fixate his attention on the television before him. What were they watching again? It had completely slipped his noble mind.</p><p>The dark-skinned girl sitting next to him had been inching steadily closer to him with every passing minute. Dressed in a yellow, clingy sweater and flattering black slacks, it was hard to distract himself from her loveliness.</p><p>The way she feigned to watch the movie, keeping a perfectly straight, was impressive. He could practically see the mischief dancing in her eyes as she relished in his distress. He had sworn not to make the same mistakes with Bumblebee as he had with Akane and the Pigtailed girl, but she was deliberately making it difficult to refrain from abandoning his composure.</p><p>He would remain steadfast, though. The Headmaster's lessons on proper conduct toward women, however evil, had served him surprisingly well to date.</p><p>A moment later, he swallowed nervously. He began to fear that his companion could read his mind, as she suddenly abandoned her subtle approach in favor of more direct tactics. Yawning mightily, Bumblebee dropped her arm onto the back of the couch, only to 'stand' her hand up upon her index and middle fingers. The vixen then began to walk her hand across the top of the couch, innocent smile on her face as she just happened to be forced to lean towards him as her arm crept around his shoulders-</p><p>"Ugh! Would you two get a room already?"</p><p>Ukyou, sitting on the far side of the semi-circular couch, proceeded to make retching sounds as she watched the pair of them flirt so shamelessly.</p><p>"Oh, come on, Baker Brain, cut me some slack. It's not like we're getting' all naked over here-" She completely ignored Kunou flushing red. "-Besides, I didn't get all up in your business when you were mackin' it with that guy a few days ago."</p><p>Instantly, a storm cloud of pure petulance settled over Ukyou's face and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Getting a bear hug from <em>Mammoth</em> is sooo <em>not</em> my idea of a romantic moment! How the heck did I get stuck fighting him, anyway? He's supposed to be your guy's problem!"</p><p>"But," Kunou mused, a tinge of amusement in his tone, "Did our esteemed colleague, Cyborg, not provide you with your glorious new weapon, so that you might do battle with <em>any</em> foe?"</p><p>Ukyou pouted grandly and let out an annoyed 'humph'.</p><p>"Yeah, Kounji. The T-patula is pretty sweet. Besides, it's <em>Mammoth</em>. You shouldn't even need a weapon, just throw a bit of feminine whiles his way," Bumblebee suggested helpfully.</p><p>Leaning back, incidentally catching Bumblebee's arm between his back and the couch, the samurai tapped his chin. "I would not recommend such a tactic. I would foresee its failure."</p><p>Kunou, suddenly feeling an odd warming sensation, made the mistake of looking up-</p><p>"Ahgh!" he cried in a manly way, collapsing back right into Bumblebee's lap. The burning gaze of seething rage swirling in Ukyou's eyes was enough to rattle even the seasoned warrior's nerves… though Bumblebee didn't seem to mind this latest turn of events.</p><p>"<em>What</em> was that, Tatewaki?"</p><p>Recovering his wits quickly but finding himself unable to sit up due to a deceptively delicate hand holding him down, Kunou held up a hand to ward off the chef's wrath.</p><p>"I mean not to impugn upon your loveliness, Miss Kounji. All I meant to infer was that Mammoth seems to yet hold a fondness for Kasumi Tendo in his heart. I doubt you would be able to usurp his feelings for her."</p><p>If anything, Ukyou's glare grew only more heated. "Oh really? Are you trying to say that not one, but <em>two</em> of those Tendo girls are so <em>lovely</em> that I don't have a chance against them?"</p><p>Kunou faltered at that. There seemed to be no reply that would not insult someone, present or not. Perhaps-</p><p>"Yeah, that about sums it up, BB!" Bumblebee blurted out teasingly.</p><p>Despite the fact that the yellow and black clad girl was the one to say it, Ukyou's glare only seemed on intensify on the samurai.</p><p>"Is that so? And just what, might I ask, does she have that I don't?" Ukyou asked dangerously. "And if you say 'looks', I'll flatten you both. I'm the <em>cute</em> fiancée, damnit!"</p><p>Kunou and Bumblebee shared a worried look before turning back.</p><p>"She is possessed of a gentle demeanor," Kunou supplied.</p><p>"Oh, and she is <em>so</em> graceful. You should have seen her in Villainess 101. She had a sashay that could <em>mesmerize</em>!"</p><p>Kunou nodded sagely. "Speaking of classes, she also displayed an uncanny talent for cryptography. She claimed it was due to her love of Sudoku."</p><p>Ukyou face twisted up into a disbelieving expression. "Kasumi is a Sudoku fan?"</p><p>"Oh, oh," Bumblebee butted in, "She's a really good cook, too!"</p><p>"Hey! <em>Watch it, </em>Bubble Butt."</p><p>The raven-haired girl replied with a smirk, holding her hand behind her head, and thrusting out her chest proudly. "Sister, if you looked this good, maybe you wouldn't have so much trouble meeting a nice guy."</p><p>Kunou tried to inch back as Ukyou began to fume silently, but the gentle curves which Bumblebee so proudly flaunted blocked his way.</p><p>"Who says I'm even looking for a guy? Not <em>all</em> of us girls define ourselves by the guys we're with!"</p><p>Judging by the look that suddenly dawned on the chef's face, she didn't realize the irony of her statement until just a second too late.</p><p>The samurai and the bee girl burst into gales of laughter, nearly tumbling to the floor in a heap.</p><p>"Oh - okay-" Broken, choking laughter made it hard for the dark-skinned girl to enunciate, "-Okay, <em>Cute Fiancée!"</em></p><p>Crossing her arms over her chest in another huff, Ukyou muttered, "Oh, shut up… Jackasses. Man, we seriously need to recruit some people. I need someone else to talk to when you guys get like this."</p><p>A moment later, she perked right up. "I know! We should put in a bid on Terra! Sure, Ryouga is training her, but she hasn't gone on any missions yet. That'd make her like a free agent, wouldn't it?"</p><p>"That's not how it works, Ukyou. We're superhero teams, not sports franchises," Bumblebee explained wearily.</p><p>"Hmmm," Kunou pondered. "It is not an idea without merit, though. The Titans possess a surplus of members, while we are running a deficit in comparison to our villainous counterparts."</p><p>For some reason, both girls just stared at him. It was beginning to get uncomfortable, and he was considering a tactical withdrawal-</p><p>When his blackberry began to buzz. Enthused for any distraction, he quickly pulled out the device and read the screen.</p><p>"Ah, it appears that I have received a piece of electronic mail. It would be rude not to respond immediately," he explained hastily.</p><p>Instantly, he had a girl perched on each of his shoulders, examining the screen with manic intensity.</p><p>"Who's it from?"</p><p>"What's in it?"</p><p>"Why can't you just say 'email'?"</p><p>"Begone, I need space to breathe, insufferable women!"</p><p>Obviously too impatient to wait, Ukyou plucked the blackberry right out of his fingers. Scurrying away quickly, she started pressing away at the buttons. "Oh ho! What's this? An email from Nabiki?"</p><p>Suddenly, the weight on Kunou's shoulder doubled, and Bumblebee's face was less than an inch from his, a less than pleased look on her face.</p><p>"You're getting <em>emails</em> from our sworn enemy?"</p><p>The swordsman swallowed loudly. She didn't seem thrilled. It was a good thing she never learned of the WoW campaign upon which he still endeavored occasionally.</p><p>"Oh, cut him some slack, BB. It's his Furinkan dot net account. It's not like he can make Nabiki forget it or anything. It's not like she can destroy us with a… what is this, a you tube link?"</p><p>Rather than force them all to watch on the tiny screen, Ukyou walked over to the main computer and began to enter the link into the browser. For her part, Bumblebee frowned. "You sure that's a good idea? What if she's sending something nasty, like that Two Girls One Cup thing?"</p><p>Kunou stared at her oddly. "To what are you referring?"</p><p>She matched his gaze for a second, before smiling widely and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I <em>love</em> the fact that you have no idea what I'm talking about."</p><p>Rolling her eyes in disgust, Ukyou finished with the link and started the video. Kunou was having trouble paying attention though, with Karen ruffling his hair so vigorously. At least he did, until-</p><p>"Hey! Isn't that that Jinx girl you two know?"</p><p>In a flash, both were perched in front of the large monitor.</p><p>"Why, I believe it is," Kunou stated, wonder in his voice. "And it appears that she has been exercising avidly during her absence."</p><p>Bumblebee nodded, watching the fight unfold. "You're <em>right</em>. My girl there looks like she took a level in badass and hottie at the same time. She's wearing almost as little as <em>Starfire</em> now!"</p><p>Ukyou had to stifle a giggle at that. "But… who the heck is she fighting? Looks a bit ugly to be one of us."</p><p>The bee themed girl rolled her eyes. "Shallow much? But you're right. That's Killer Croc, a baddie from right across the road in Gotham. Why she's fighting him, I dunno."</p><p>Suddenly, Kunou shushed the both of them. "I believe the battle is coming to its crescendo!"</p><p>And then, Jinx snapped her fingers.</p><p>The trio watched what came next with a series of winces and hisses, until the battle finally ran its course. Once the video ended, Bumblebee stared at the screen, confused. "Huh? I don't get it."</p><p>Ukyou had a vastly different response. "That - that hussy! How dare she! Why, if I get my hands on her…"</p><p>Kunou, on the other hand, had another reaction entirely. Despite his noble bearing, the proud samurai collapsed to the ground, drowning in a sea of laughter.</p><p>"I - I - I must send this to Mousse!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Mousse, or 'Weapon Master' as he was known hereabouts - ugh, why did he let Shampoo choose their names? He would have preferred Steel Mallard - continued to glance back and forth between the dual monitors. On the right was a static, <em>boring</em> view of a lone, low security corridor. A woman with blonde hair, wearing a black leather jacket and fishnet stockings was walking down said hallway, going… somewhere.</p><p>On the left monitor was a screen full of test questions that he might be asked in his upcoming exam.</p><p>Par Example:</p><p>The nuclear reactor you just saved is about to go critical. Do you:</p><ol>
<li>A) Hack into the computer system and override the safety protocols to flood the reactor with coolant.</li>
</ol><p>Hmmm, tempting, if he knew how to do that, or what half of those words even meant.</p><ol>
<li>B) Leap into the reactor and absorb the excess radiation, thus preventing the meltdown.</li>
</ol><p><em>Seriously</em>? That sounded more insane than Ranma's 'Let's trick Happosai with magical incense' plan.</p><ol>
<li>C) Envelope the reactor in a force field, containing the blast and minimizing damage to the surrounding city.</li>
</ol><p>Um… pass.</p><ol>
<li>D) Tear the reactor of its moorings and throw it into space.</li>
</ol><p>Oh, <em>come on</em>! Who wrote this test? A quick scroll to the top of the mock test answered that question: Co-authored by Batman, Captain Atom, Green Lantern and Superman.</p><p>Well, doesn't that just figure?</p><p>Leaning back into his chair, he reached under his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Maybe the big dogs were getting a little set in their ways? Was it really too hard to put a 'Find a convenient scientist to help', option? Or a 'Go to ' to find out how to shut it down?</p><p>He let out a frustrated groan.</p><p>"Something wrong, Mousse?"</p><p>Lifting his glasses up to rest on his head, Mousse turned to regard the attractive blonde, white and blue blur sitting two stations down from him. He offered the young woman a tired smile.</p><p>"What could possibly be wrong? Between the stimulation of watching Black Canary wander aimlessly up and down the hall, and these test questions stolen from 'Demigods for Dummies', I'm so happy I could spontaneously combust."</p><p>The blond leaned forward, resting her chin on an upraised palm as she studied him. "You are an odd one, Mousse. Most guys I know find <em>her</em> outfit to be pretty darn <em>stimulating</em> indeed."</p><p>"Mousse only have eyes for Shampoo," came a musical voice from across the room. The pair turned to see - after replacing his glasses - Shampoo strolling into the room. It was somewhat amusing to see the lavender haired warrior decked out in full, ceremonial battle regalia and juggling three cups of coffee at the same time.</p><p>Shampoo smirked wickedly as she approached them. "Unfortunately, eyes not very good, but Shampoo not been able to find way to give back yet."</p><p>His blonde associate burst into a giggle fit, even as Mousse rolled his eyes.</p><p>"Oh, by all means. Make fun of my selfless devotion."</p><p>Both girls struggled to stifle their laughter, which, honestly, was more consideration than he was used to. "And another thing," he continued irately. "We shouldn't be using each other's real names. Superhero names-only is the regulation, isn't that right, <em>Nujiézú… Supergirl?"</em></p><p>The Amazon just shrugged, not caring very much as she handed both him and Supergirl their coffees. The Argonian, on the other hand, managed an earth-shattering pout.</p><p>"Oh, come on. The original seven use real names all the time. Using our call signs feels so impersonal. No one actually cares about that rule!"</p><p>Mousse locked gazes with her. "<em>I</em> care. I am so very much not comfortable using your real name after that demonstration to all us newbies about what you would do if any of us got too <em>familiar</em>."</p><p>Shampoo nodded helpfully. "Shampoo still surprised Plastic Man volunteer for demonstration. Even with indestructible rubber body, still look too-too painful. Shampoo never seen <em>anything</em> bend like that before."</p><p>The blonde chuckled weakly. "Uh, yeah, <em>volunteered</em>… But, <em>anyway</em>, I already told you guys that didn't apply to you. You two are pretty cool, not to mention you're actually in my age bracket for a change."</p><p>"Besides, I know that you won't try anything funny with Shampoo around." Supergirl tilted her head to the side coquettishly and winked. "And even if that wasn't the case, I could think of worse things than flirting with you."</p><p>The Weapon Master - of the Hidden variety - blanched instantly, visions of the Man of Steel busting through the wall to <em>deal</em> with him for hitting on his cousin, springing to mind. Shampoo just groaned loudly. "Ugh, not you <em>too</em>? Seriously, Mousse, you start bathing in Love Potion 9 after we rescue you?"</p><p>Immediately, Supergirl began laughing, holding up her hands to ward off their reactions.</p><p>"Just kidding, just kidding!" She then proceeded to beam a bright, surprisingly innocent smile. "I'm just a sweet little country girl. I would never try to steal away your man, Shampoo!"</p><p>The Amazon gave an annoyed huff. "Shampoo more <em>country girl </em>than you even imagine. And on second thought, no let Shampoo stand in way. You want Mousse? I <em>gift wrap </em>him for you."</p><p>The only avenue of retreat available to Mousse was to bury his face in his hands. "There is no Mousse, there is only Weapon Master. There is no Mousse, there is only Weapon Master."</p><p>It was a mistake on his part, taking his eyes off the pair of young women. One girl teasing was bad enough, but when two or more joined forces, they inevitably became more annoying than the sum of their parts.</p><p>As such, he missed the look that passed between the alien and the Amazon. Seconds later, he felt himself get spun around, then felt a set of sharp weights settle down on his shoulders.</p><p>"Hmm, looks like he's stuck on question Seven. Heh, the answer is so obviously D."</p><p>Looking up, Mousse found that he was facing the monitors again. Behind him, Shampoo and Supergirl had adopted mirrored posses, leaning forward to lean on him, their elbows digging painfully into his shoulders as they rested their chins on upraised palms. Equally bored expressions adorned their equally aesthetic faces as they scanned the questions.</p><p>Ignoring the pain best he could, Mousse gave a grunt. "D? Not <em>all</em> of us are superhuman, you know?"</p><p>The Argonian stared down at him incredulously. "Not superhuman? Shampoo beat Batman's obstacle course record on her first try! I could bench press this entire space station if I wanted, and even I can't beat his record!"</p><p>Shampoo just nodded matter of factly. "'Obstacles are for killing' has never served Shampoo so well before. Speaking of which, what you get for Five, Mousse?"</p><p>Chuckling, Mousse scrolled up a bit. "Oh, the 'You just saved a man from falling to his death, but then he tries to sue you for damages' question?"</p><p>Shampoo nodded, humming happily to herself.</p><p>Supergirl scratched her head for a moment. "I think I put 'Fly to another galaxy until the statue of limitation expires'."</p><p>"Damn aliens, get all the luck," Mousse muttered. "I was gonna go with option A) Tell him in a gravelly voice that 'Next time, I'll let you fall'. but then I ended up going with 'Hide behind your secret identity, pretend it never happened, and never let strangers hand you strange envelopes'."</p><p>His Amazonian colleague nodded sagely. "Hmm, both good… both good. Shampoo decided to go for E, though."</p><p>The alien girl's brow crinkled up cutely. "What? But I thought they only went up to D. What one was E?"</p><p>Smiling broadly, Shampoo proudly stated: "Bash in head and feed to herd!"</p><p>Supergirl gasped in shock. "Shampoo! You can't do that!"</p><p>Mousse nodded, in full agreement. "<em>Tell me </em>about it… Shampoo doesn't even <em>have</em> any herds."</p><p>"That's not what I - <em>Ohhh</em>, you two!"</p><p>Unable to contain their laughter, Mousse and Shampoo nearly collapsed.</p><p>Scowling adorably, the Argonian floated back to her station and plopped down into her seat. "Hmph! What are you guys looking at that stupid test for, anyway? You two haven't even been here a month yet, and you're already bucking for a promotion?"</p><p>Shampoo donned a vicious grin, jutting out her chest proudly. "Shampoo just want to reach position she deserve. Proud Amazon warrior should be among elite ranks!"</p><p>Shaking her head, Supergirl mused to herself, "And to think that you and Wonder Woman don't get along better."</p><p>Mousse simply shrugged. "I just want to make sure I never get stuck on 'Crowd Control' with Booster Gold again -" He shuddered uncontrollably for a moment. "And, frankly, this security monitoring job <em>tanks</em>. How the heck did a heavy hitter like you get stuck in the Chinese Hell of Boring Scrub Work with us newbs?"</p><p>The alien super power put on an impressive sulk at his question.</p><p>"I <em>shouldn't</em> be here. But Cl - uh - <em>Superman</em> is punishing me. He left me in charge of Metropolis a few weeks ago, and - <em>just my luck </em>- a full scale war erupts dead in the heart of downtown. I didn't even manage to catch anyone involved, either! Superman figured that maybe some security duty would help me learn to pay more attention."</p><p>Only years of grueling martial training and peerless self control allowed Shampoo and Mousse to stop themselves from shifting about uncomfortably and whistling innocently, respectively.</p><p>"Really? You don't say…" Mousse mumbled. "That's too bad. Probably the work of some shameless super villain out to make a name for themselves. No way you could have foreseen something like that."</p><p>It took all of her will power for Shampoo to <em>not</em> stomp on the weapon master’s foot to shut him up.</p><p>"Yeah… yeeaaah… I suppose you're right." Supergirl slumped forward to rest on her console. "And at least it isn't too bad since I have you two to hang out with. Don't say anything, but I can't stand working with the Stargirl. She's <em>such</em> a blonde."</p><p>The alien girl met their incredulous stares indignantly. "Hey, I <em>am</em> one, so I'm entitled to make blonde jokes." A sheepish expression then worked its way on to her face. "Besides, you guys wouldn't bust your security buddy, would you?"</p><p>Mousse and Shampoo shared a telling look… before finally shrugging in unison.</p><p>"Nawww."</p><p>"Shampoo <em>suppose</em> not."</p><p>Supergirl clapped her hands together happily. "Aww, you guys are just the greatest. Suddenly, the Argonian's screen flashed on and the girl spun to read it. "What's this? Looks like I finally got a customer… Ha! Will you look here? You got an email, Mousse!"</p><p>Curious, he leaned forward. "I do? How would you know that?"</p><p>She shrugged. "I'm monitoring communications over here. This is a space station, after all, so we gotta be extra careful what comes in and goes out. We don't want any viruses or stolen data floating around. …This email looks clean, though. Want me to leave it for you to get in your room?"</p><p>The weapon master looked up at Shampoo, then back to Supergirl. "Meh. The people that know my new email can be counted on one hand. I can't imagine any of them sending me anything too personal. You might as well open it up. Who's it from, anyway?"</p><p>Moving the curser over the email in question, she clicked to open it up. "Looks like its from… Bluethunder1@TitanTowerEast.Org. A friend of yours?"</p><p>A wide smile grew on his face at that. "An email from Kunou? This can only be something amusing. What does it say?"</p><p>"Huh, it doesn't say anything. It's just a link. Here, let me click on it."</p><p>As she went about that, Shampoo looked down at Mousse, propping her elbow back on his shoulder. "You get message from Stick Boy? Say, you and him still play WoW online?"</p><p>He shook his head sadly. "Not since we got up here."</p><p>She pouted sadly. "Superhero work sure is pain in butt. Shampoo not even get X Box back yet. Haven't had chance to play Halo in forever."</p><p>The sympathetic weapon master was about to reply, when-</p><p>"Huh? Weird. Looks like he sent you a video of Killer Croc fighting some girl. No idea who she is, though."</p><p>Well, that was odd. Why would Kunou send him a video of some random fight? Curious, he looked over to the monitor-</p><p>"<em>Jinx</em>! What is she <em>doing</em>? For that matter, what is she <em>wearing</em>?" Mousse squawked, scandalized. Jinx had always been one of the most modest dressing of all the metahuman females he knew. Happosai hadn't warped her mind, had he? …Well, warped it more than previously, anyway.</p><p>Supergirl looked down at her own outfit, a touch self conscious. "What? Her outfit isn't that risqué. I know a lot of girls that wear less… Not very fashionable, though. Her outfit looks like she went berserk on it with a pair of scissors."</p><p>Behind them, Shampoo shrugged. "Outfit no matter. Jinx win this fight easy. Just matter of time."</p><p>Mousse spun on his love incredulously. "You're <em>rooting</em> for Jinx?"</p><p>She rolled her eyes. "No <em>need</em> to. Jinx actually give Shampoo challenge in fight - however minor. No way Bad Luck Girl lose to Scaly Lizard Man. Would look bad on Shampoo if she did."</p><p>The sentiment brought a smirk to Mousse's face. First and foremost, Shampoo was a proud warrior. Jinx had put up a good fight, despite being out gunned in every conceivable way. Maybe the cat eyed girl had managed to plant a tiny seed of respect in Shampoo's mind?</p><p>The lavender haired Amazon nodded to herself. "Also, good to see that Jinx realize that 'modesty' just male created concept intended to restrain female sexuality. Not woman's fault that man not have enough brains to control hormones."</p><p>The Argonian burst into laughter. "You <em>go</em>, Sister! Stick it to the man!"</p><p>It was Mousse's turn to roll his eyes. "Yes, yes. Go girl power. Now, can you both please keep it down? Looks like the fight is wrapping up."</p><p>The weapon master based this assumption on the exhausted, reckless charge that the large, scaly one had initiated. This was usually the time that the defender pulled out some cool or dramatic move that would utterly destroy their opponent, punishing them severely for their lack of control.</p><p>And then, just as expected, Jinx snapped her fingers.</p><p>Mousse, Shampoo and Supergirl all watched what unfolded next with a mixture of wincing, laughing, and flinching.</p><p>And then the video came to an end.</p><p>The trio stared at the screen for a long moment…</p><p>And then Mousse exploded into laughter. Clutching his sides, he fell back into his chair to prevent himself from dropping to the floor.</p><p>The alien girl stared at him, obviously baffled. "I don't get it." She turned to Shampoo. "What's so funny?"</p><p>If anything, the Amazon's reaction was even more bizarre. Her face was twisted up in a rictus of indignant fury.</p><p>"Sh-Shampoo no believe! Shampoo Kil-" Only for her rage filled expression to crumble as a giggle snuck out unexpectedly. "Heh heh heh. Actually… that <em>is</em> pretty funny."</p><p>Mousse leapt up, eyes flashing. "I <em>know</em>, right? Oh man, you know who we need to send this to?"</p><p>The lavender haired girl nodded, smiling cattily. "Oh, yes. Airen <em>absolutely</em> need to see this!"</p><p>Even as Mousse cackled madly, preparing to forward the video, Supergirl looked about, positively perplexed.</p><p>"Alright, you two <em>really</em> need to tell me what's so funny. " She paused for a second as something else occurred to her.</p><p>"And who the heck is Aaron? …Is he cute?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Akane hummed along happily to the tune which emanated from the speakers of her new laptop. She honestly couldn't believe she hadn't heard of Rammstein before. Their music was so catchy!</p><p>She'd had the shiny new computer for less than a week, but it was easily her favorite purchase of the last six months… Well, there was that <em>really</em> cute pair of pumps she'd gotten… She mentally weighed the two purchases for a moment.</p><p>…Hmm, yeah, still the computer.</p><p>Of course, pirating music probably wasn't the best use she could be making of it, especially since more than three quarters of the household were technically police now. That just made it more exciting, though. Smiling devilishly, she peered over the large screen to make sure no one was lurking around the dining room with her. It was still all clear, so she went back to her wicked work.</p><p>Who would have thought that something she'd gotten purely for the schoolwork and research would have been so fun? Once she'd discovered BitTorrent and flash games, though, all pretense of that had gone straight out the window.</p><p>Oops! Kurumi was coming through! With a deft click, Akane brought up a college website, pretending to be interested.</p><p>She need not have bothered, though, as her younger sister - officially, now that the paperwork had gone through - ran by in a blur, only slowing enough to shout an excited - "Thunder's on the phone, gotta go!" before vanishing.</p><p>"Aww," Akane cooed. That was just so adorable. She was certainly glad that the tall, quiet boy did his best to call whenever the chance arose. She was also glad that most everyone was nice enough to respect her privacy and leave her computer alone when she wasn't around-</p><p>Suddenly, a little window popped up in the utility bar at the bottom of the screen and started flashing. Instantly, Akane's eyes narrowed as she clicked on it.</p><p>Everyone but <em>one</em> arrogant jerk, that was! Ranma had been using her computer again, and he'd left his Messenger program running <em>again</em>! She'd <em>told</em> him not to do that after the time she'd got suckered into talking to his mother for <em>four hours straight</em>. She loved auntie Saotome, but the woman had been over practically everyday since the big parade to celebrate beating Brushogun.</p><p>There was such a thing as <em>too much </em>quality time.</p><p>She took a deep breath, preparing to unleash righteous female wrath… when another message popped up - then another… and another. Soon, over half a dozen alerts were littering her monitor.</p><p>What was going on? Was it Ranma's birthday and she forgot? …No, Ranma was always the type to give a full month notice when it came to anything that somehow involved celebrating him. Curious, she scanned the first few.</p><p>Weapon_Master@Watchtower.com</p><p>Nujiézú@Watchtower.com</p><p>Hey! These were from Mousse and Shampoo! And then there was Bluethunder1@TitanTowerEast.Net and Combat_Chef@TitanTowerEast.net. One guess on who those two were from. It was odd, though. Sure, Ukyou and Shampoo sending stuff was a no brainer, but Kunou and Mousse?</p><p>And there were still more. NoisyFang@TitanTower.com, MistyCloud@TitanTower.com, Raven52973@TitanTower.com, Tendo_N@Furinkan.org.</p><p>What the hell? Ranma was getting email from <em>Nabiki</em>? More importantly: Nabiki was still using her high school email?</p><p>Taking a second, Akane instantly sent an invitation to Nabiki for her Facebook.</p><p>"Ohh, that Ranma. What is he up to?" She fumed darkly to herself. Her cursor hovered over the 'open' button tauntingly.</p><p>She really shouldn't… It would be a terrible invasion of his privacy.</p><p>Of course, on the other hand, he had used her computer without permission, which was kind of the same thing. Not to mention that the jerk had gone ahead and lost the game of Free Cell she'd been struggling with! Now her 100% was shot all to heck!</p><p>Caving in to her evil impulse quicker than a car in a car crusher, she clicked the button, opening the browser directly to her fiancé's email account.</p><p>The first one read:</p><p>From: Weapon_Master@Watchtower.com</p><p>To: Saotome_R@SNDF.jp.gov</p><p>Topic: HA!</p><p>Weapon Master wrote:</p><p>HAHA! HAHAHA! HA! HAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHA!</p><p>Check out <span class="u">this</span> link, Saotome!</p><p>P.S. Tell Akane I said Hi, and thanks for the great reference.</p><p>P.S.S. You are the enemy of all women! Just FYI.</p><p>Akane 'awww'd' at the first P.S., then burst into a full-blown giggle fit as the second. It certainly was sweet of him to remember her, but why was he sending this link thing to Ranma? Was it just a coincidence that everyone else around the world - and beyond - were emailing Ranma?</p><p>Rather than click on the link, she moved on to the next email.</p><p>From: Nujiézú@Watchtower.com</p><p>To: Saotome_R@SNDF.jp.gov</p><p>Topic: Sorry to hear news, Airen.</p><p>Nujiézú wrote:</p><p>XX OOO X OOO XXXXX!</p><p>Shampoo feel too-too bad for you after hearing news through <span class="u">video</span>. If you need shoulder to cry on, just give Shampoo call!</p><p>P.S. Akane destroy any good kitchens lately? Ha! Shampoo beam down sometime to make you good meal.</p><p>P.S.S. Disregard last. Supergirl just inform Shampoo that, due to legal issues, no can use term 'beam down'. So, Shampoo 'teleport' down some time to cook meal.</p><p>Akane's finger hovered tensely over the mousse button, ready to click the email away to oblivion… but that would be just a bit too petty. Reading his emails was one thing, but deleting them, even Shampoo's, wasn't nice at all.</p><p>Still, she was curious as all heck now. Two emails in as many minutes, both sending a link to a video? She quickly read through the rest of the topics, hoping to find a common theme.</p><p>'Heaven's Justice at last! How sweet it is!'</p><p>'Don't worry, Ranchan. I'll be there for you!'</p><p>'This can't be right, can it, Ranma?'</p><p>'Best news I've heard all year! …Jerk.'</p><p>Akane frowned. It sounded like they were all referring to something similar. Quickly, she flitted through all of them, more intent on finding then reading.</p><p>And, just as she thought, every single email had a link, and she would bet an hour locked in a closet with Happosai - she shuddered at the mere thought - that they all linked to the same thing, whatever it was.</p><p>Well, she had to know what this mystery was now. Standing up, she picked up her laptop and walked off in search of the pigtailed boy. Her search was predictably short, as her first destination - the dojo - was her last as well. Ranma and Natsume were in the center of the large room, still trying to create more efficient variations on their respective wind-based attacks. Natsume was interested in developing a one-person technique, in case she and Kurumi were ever sent on separate missions. Ranma was looking for something that didn't require so much telling set up to pull off.</p><p>He could barely use the Hiryua Shoten Ha on anyone these days. Everyone had just seen it too much to fall for it anymore.</p><p>But none of that really mattered to Akane at the moment.</p><p>"Ranma! It looks like you've got some interesting email. Mind telling us about what's going on?" she asked with a touch of a smirk.</p><p>Ranma and Natsume broke apart at the calling of his name, and the former turned to regard her, glancing down at her laptop.</p><p>"Hey! You weren't reading' my emails, were ya?" He turned to his sparring partner. "That's illegal or something, ain't it?"</p><p>The new Tendo sister shook her head sadly, sinuous ponytail swinging back and forth behind her. "No Ranma, it is not…" She then added under her breath, "How I wish he would take his studies more seriously."</p><p>Akane, for her part, just pulled down an eyelid and 'Biii'd' him loudly. "Yeah, well maybe it should be illegal to take other people's stuff without asking? Oh, wait, I'm pretty sure that's called stealing!"</p><p>Her fiancé waved off her ire lazily. "Oh, c'mon, Akane. It wasn't stealing, just… secret borrowing… Fine, fine. So, who's the email from, then?"</p><p>A wry grin split her face at his question.</p><p>"<em>Everyone</em>! Apparently, something happened that you need to know about."</p><p>"Everyone?" Ranma repeated, curious. "Let me see that."</p><p>Taking the computer from her, he scrolled around until he found the first email address.</p><p>"Weapon Master at Watchtower dot com? Who the heck is that?"</p><p>Akane rolled her eyes. "It's from <em>Mousse</em>, dummy. And the second one is from Shampoo."</p><p>The pigtailed boy looked at her, then back down to the screen. "…Wait a second.  Watchtower? And silly new names? This isn't the Watchtower I'm thinking of, is it? The <em>Justice League </em>one?"</p><p>"Um, of <em>course</em>, Ranma," Akane replied, exasperated. Then suddenly something occurred to her. "<em>Oh</em>, wait a moment. Did I forget to give you that message?"</p><p>"Forgot to give me <em>what</em> message?"</p><p>Cheeks tinged pink as Akane giggled in embarrassment. "Um… that Shampoo and Mousse are superheroes now and joined the Justice League a few weeks ago?"</p><p>"They joined the <em>what</em>?" Ranma barked loudly. "And Nujiézú and Weapon Master? I mean, sure, Shampoo's isn't bad. Personal meaning, highly applicable and a touch mysterious. But Weapon Master?" Ranma flailed his arms in the air, necessitating Natsume to make a diving catch for the computer. "That is <em>way</em> too on the nose, Akane. It's like us calling Ryouga 'The Lost Boy'."</p><p>Akane frowned at the jerk, 20% for insulting her friend, 80% for tossing her computer. "You <em>do</em> call him the Lost Boy, Ranma."</p><p>"Um, I <em>know</em>, Akane. I was deliberately pointing out a similar situation," he replied snidely.</p><p>"Argh!"</p><p>Before she had a chance to melt down, Ranma cut her off with a quick - "When did you find out about this, anyway?"</p><p>Switching from wrathful to thoughtful in .5 seconds, Akane 'hmm'd' as she considered his question.</p><p>"Well, it was a few weeks ago, like I said. It went something like this:"</p><hr/><p>Akane Tendo, the mature, lovely young woman that she was, was walking down the downstairs hallway, moving so gracefully it looked like she was gliding-</p><hr/><p>"I see we're taking some artistic license here."</p><p>"Shut up, I'm narrating!"</p><hr/><p>Being as sweet and compassionate as she was, she was on her way to the kitchen to make some food for her rude, ungrateful fiancé. She wasn't doing it because she liked him or anything, though, just as an act of mercy-</p><hr/><p>"Planning on putting me out of my misery?"</p><p>"So help me, if you don't stop it, I'll turn this story around right now!"</p><p>"…I'll be good."</p><hr/><p><em>Anyway</em>, just as she was walking past it, the phone suddenly began to ring. Actually, considerate of her family - unlike some people - she quickly and politely answered.</p><p>"Hello, you've reached the Tendo residence."</p><p>"Ah, hello," came a very deep voice in reply. "I was wondering if there was a 'Saotome Ranma' present?"</p><p>"Oh, I'm sorry. Ranma is still at work. May I take a message?"</p><p>"Ye- Actually, may I ask to whom I speak? You may be able to help us as well." Whoever the speaker was, Akane had to admit that he had a very trustworthy voice.</p><p>"I'm Tendo Akane. …Um, I didn't get your name…"</p><p>"Ah, how rude of me. My name is J'onn J'onzz. Hmm, Akane, would that make you the young woman that had been captured and held captive by the villain known as Brushogun?"</p><p>"Hey!" Akane barked. "I wasn't <em>captured</em>! It was a… umm - a tactical infiltration! I let him think he captured me so that I could find out his weakness for Ranma. I'm a martial artist too, you know?"</p><hr/><p>"…"</p><p>"<em>Ranma</em>!"</p><p>"What? I didn't say anything!"</p><p>"You were thinking it!"</p><p>"It is true, Saotome, you completely were."</p><hr/><p>"Indeed? Well, that was both courageous and clever of you," praised the deep voice. "Well, then, if that is the case, and you are a confidant of Mr. Saotome, then may I ask you a few questions? It will only take a few minutes, I promise."</p><p>What was this? Some kind of weird survey? "Um, alright, I guess. What do you want to know?"</p><p>"Miss Tendo, could you confirm if you know a duo known as Weapon Master and Nujiézú?"</p><p>Akane stared at the phone quizzically. "Ah… well, I know <em>a</em> weapon master. And I know a girl <em>from</em> Nujiézú. Does that count?"</p><p>"…Possibly. Could you describe them to the best of your knowledge?"</p><p>The (second) youngest Tendo's eyes narrowed.</p><p>"What, exactly, is this all about, Mr. Jones?"</p><p>"Oh. Again, I apologize. I am consistently getting ahead of myself. I am a representative of the Justice League. I am currently performing background checks on our newest group of applicants. Both Nujiézú and Weapon Master had Mr. Saotome down as a reference."</p><hr/><p>"You got a phone call from the Justice League?"</p><p>"Yes… yes I did."</p><hr/><p>"Oh, they did, did they?" she replied tartly. "Let me guess. Nujiézú is a Chinese girl with lavender hair, talks like a bad stereotype and has a body you'd kill for?"</p><p>"Um, I would never resort to <em>homicide</em> for-"</p><p>"And the guy is tall, probably wearing robes, glasses like the Hubble telescope and…" she let out an envious sigh "And hair that you'd kill for."</p><p>The caller hesitated for a moment. "Colloquialisms aside, yes, those descriptions do fit our latest applicants-"</p><p>"Oh, well that's just Mousse and Shampoo! Sheesh, was there some reason they couldn't just come by, like <em>usual</em>, and ask Ranma if they could use him as a reference?"</p><p>"Ah, Miss Tendo, we generally don't request to know applicant's secret identities unless they choose to disclose them …"</p><p>"Oh… Well, I guess I won't tell you which is which, then?"</p><p>"That is likely for the best. As for why they could not come themselves; all applicants are sequestered in the Watchtower until the interview process is completed for security reasons." John's voice took on a more whimsical note. "In fact, that is where I am now. I am making this call from the Earth's orbit."</p><p>"Wow," Akane breathed, impressed, "You must have an amazing phone plan. Who's your long-distance carrier?"</p><p>"…AT&amp;T, but that's not important." The man chuckled to himself. "I can see that you're not so easily impre-"</p><hr/><p>"Wait, so <em>that's</em> why we switched to AT&amp;T?"</p><p>"Yeah, we didn't qualify for their interplanetary plan, but they still have very reasonable rates."</p><hr/><p>"-ssed."</p><p>"Things tend to stop fazing you when you live here long enough. So, was there anything else you needed?"</p><p>"Indeed. I just need to ask you a few questions about Sham - I mean, Nujiézú and Weapon Master. Your responses may very well decide whether we accept them or not," Mr. Jones explained carefully. "Now, what can you tell me about Nujiézú? As a person?"</p><p>An evil smile spread over Akane's face. He wanted her to tell him about Shampoo? Oh, she would tell him <em>all about </em>Shampoo-</p><p>It was in that moment, that the entire puzzle suddenly clicked together in her mind.</p><p>"Wait a minute. Let me get this straight. If I give a good review for Sh - ah - Nujiézú, then she'll probably end up living on a space station, floating a thousand miles above the earth, being constantly sent around the globe on highly dangerous missions, keeping her far too busy to have a social life or visit friends?"</p><p>"Ah… well, that is all quite likely, actually. However, if you are concerned about your friend's welfare-"</p><p>"No, no, no!" Akane interrupted hastily. "I… uh, have complete faith in Nujiézú's warrior prowess. In fact, you couldn't ask for a better member!"</p><p>Squeezing the receiver between her cheek and shoulder, she began to tick off points with her fingers.</p><p>"She's clever." <em>Conniving</em>. "Strong willed." <em>Overbearing</em>. "Determined." <em>Obsessive</em>. "Outgoing." <em>Shameless</em>. "And she's a proud Amazon warrior!"</p><hr/><p>"How… how can you be doing something so evil, but make it look like you're doing something so nice?"</p><p>"I am the younger sister of both Nabiki <em>and</em> Kasumi, after all."</p><p>"Too bad you couldn't take after Kasumi when it comes to cooking."</p><p>"<em>Oh</em>, just for that, you're eating the leftover Finark Spores tonight!"</p><p>"What? That stuff that crawled to the back of the fridge and climbed up into the corner? No way!"</p><p>"Oh, don't be such a baby. Starfire said Finark Spores are at their tastiest during gestation… She might have also mentioned something about absolutely never, under any circumstances, letting the chrysalis hatch, lest we doom all like on the planet, but it was a while ago, and I wasn't really paying attention."</p><p>"Surprise, surpri-"</p><p>"Akane, please. If you could continue your story?"</p><p>"Right, right."</p><hr/><p>"…<em>Amazon</em>, you say?"</p><p>"<em>What</em>?" An indignant female voice suddenly burst out in the background on Mr. Jone's end of the line. "Give me that phone, right now Jon!"</p><p>The sound of a brief, if one sided, struggle was quickly followed by the new speaker.</p><p>"Greetings, Sister."</p><p>"Kasumi? Is that you?"</p><p>"What? No. I am Wonder Woman, of the Justice League."</p><hr/><p>"Sure she wasn't Captain Obvious?"</p><p>"*Snicker* Quiet you."</p><hr/><p>"Oh, I see. You didn't <em>sound</em> like Kasumi. She has a very gentle voice," Akane replied.</p><p>"And I don't? - Bah, never mind. I was simply referring to the fact that, united by the tyranny of men, all women are joined by unique bonds of friendship and trust, making us all as sisters."</p><p>Akane just stared at the phone. "You… ah, you guys didn't actually <em>do</em> any research on Ranma and his friends before you agreed to use him as a reference, did you?"</p><p>"What do you mean by - No, that's not important right now. I have an important question. This Nujiézú. She claims to be a - a <em>Chinese</em> Amazon. Is there <em>any</em> basis to this claim?"</p><p>Akane shrugged. "I dunno. As far as I know, most people call them Amazons, though the Japanese name would be Joketsuzoku. I think it means 'Tribe of Women Heroes', or 'Village of Strong Warrior Women', or something… A bit on the nose for my taste, really, but it sure sounds like they're Amazons. "</p><p>She could almost hear Wonder Woman's teeth grinding on the other end of the line. "She <em>cannot</em> be an Amazon, especially not a <em>Chinese</em> Amazon. There are only <em>Greek</em> Amazons."</p><p>Akane gasped. "They have Amazons in Greece now, too?"</p><p>"No! They have <em>only</em> Amazons in Greece!"</p><p>"Oh, well that can't be right," Akane replied, tapping her chin. "I know Greece isn't doing terribly well, but I know they definitely have a lot of men, and a male dominated government. I should know, Ryouga told me all about it after he got lost there. Brought a brochure and everything."</p><p>"That's not what I meant," Wonder Woman barked. "I mean that Amazons only exist in Greece. That Greek Amazons are the only true Amazons."</p><p>"Oh," Akane 'oh'd'. "You might need to talk to a copy right lawyer, then. I don't really have any experience settling that kind of dispute. I'm sure my sister could refer you to one, though."</p><p>"No… no, that will not be necessary. Thank you for your time, Sis - Tendo Akane. The Justice League appreciates our assistance." A moment later, the line went dead as the bleak Amazon hung up.</p><p>"Huh," Akane muttered. "I didn't even get the chance to tell them how devoted Mousse was to protecting people… named Shampoo!"</p><hr/><p>"<em>Laaaaaame</em>! That's the Best Mousse related pun you could come up with?"</p><p>"Oh, like you could think of a better one," Akane fired back.</p><p>Ranma just smirked. "Um, yeah. It's so obvious a <em>blind man </em>could see it."</p><p>"Damnit." How did he get so good at insulting people?</p><p>Swelling up with pride, the pigtailed fighter looked to be about three seconds away from taking things just one step too far - when he suddenly deflated.</p><p>"Wait a second! Why the heck didn't you tell me about this call?"</p><p>"Well," Akane admitted, "I <em>tried</em>, but-"</p><hr/><p>"Ranma, I have a messag-"</p><p>"Can't talk, Commander Daizo said I have to watch Astroboy, or he'll pistol whip me."</p><hr/><p>"That wasn't my fault!"</p><p>Akane tapped her chin. "And then there was-"</p><hr/><p>"Ranma! I need to tell you-"</p><p>"Can't talk, Akane. Watching Bleach!"</p><hr/><p>"Damn!" Ranma slapped a fist into his palm. "Curse my weakness for anything even tangentially related to martial arts!"</p><p>"Tengen-wha-?"</p><p>"Ah, look, the various links all appear to be to the same video."</p><p>Immediately, Akane and Ranma ceased their bickering to look down. Laying on her stomach now, kicking her feet in the air and staring at the laptop set up before her, Natsume pointed to the screen. Following suit, the pair dropped down to sit beside her, garnering a set of glares for nearly sitting <em>on</em> her to get a good view of the monitor.</p><p>The long haired Tendo had already started the video, when began promisingly with a pink explosion. A few moments later, the key players of this little drama made themselves known.</p><p>Akane gasped yet again. "Hey, that's-"</p><p>"<em>Jinx</em>!" Ranma finished excitedly.</p><p>The original recipe Tendo fired a hot glare his way. "Why are you so excited to see that hussy?"</p><p>"Hey, always good to see Ryouga's main squeeze. Heck, I haven't seen her since… uh, since <em>before</em> the Academy exploded… yeah."</p><p>"She so is <em>not</em> Ryouga's main squeeze! It's so obvious he likes Raven!"</p><p>"Oh god, not <em>this</em> argument again!"</p><p>"Um, excuse me for a moment." Natsume's cool inquiry broke the pair out of yet another argument. Pointing to the screen, the newly minted Tendo studied the fight with a clinical eye. "This Jinx. Is she another long-lost sister of ours?"</p><p>Akane nearly choked on her own tongue. "She'd <em>better</em> damn well <em>not</em> be! Wait! That doesn't even make sense. Why would you ask that?"</p><p>Her sister shrugged. "Well, it is just that the fighting style she is using in nearly identical to Kurumi and mine's style. The basics, at least, are so similar as to be uncanny, possibly as if she were taught by-"</p><p>"<em>Happosai</em>?" Ranma barked in shock. "Holy crap! You're right! She's using Anything Goes! Not just that, she's using the <em>original</em> style, Happosai's style, not my dad's or Mr. Tendo's!" The pigtailed fighter shook his head. "But why the heck would he be teaching her?"</p><p>A little baffled herself, Akane's head tilted to the side as she watched the screen. "That's an excellent question. I mean, it's not exactly like she's got anything for him to grope."</p><p>"Shh!" Natsume shushed them sharply. "The fight is drawing to its conclusion."</p><p>Ranma all but plastered his face to the screen as he watched the scaly brute bear down on Jinx at full speed.</p><p>And then -</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Jinx snapped her fingers.</p><p>All up and down the street, flashes of pink flared to life brightly for a few, fleeting seconds. Next, an ominous collection of groaning and creaking filled the air as Murphy prepared to bludgeon causality upside the head with his Law.</p><p>It started with a single crack, like a shotgun firing, as the base of the nearby lamp post suddenly snapped under its own weight. The tall metal post fell unerringly in Croc's direction, slamming to the ground less than a foot to his side with a clattering crash. The beast ignored the near miss - at least until the long arm that supported the lamp caught him across the ankles, dropping him face first into the pavement.</p><p>Before he even had the chance to stand, a loud 'snap' cracked the air. Croc had just enough time to look up before the car, previously resting on the back of a poorly parked flatbed truck, suddenly rolled off - the chain holding it mysteriously broken - and crashed to the ground in a shower of sparks before careening directly at him.</p><p>Flipping over frantically, Killer Croc began scrabbling away from the speeding vehicle. He would have made it, too, if the large, sheet metal sign displaying the nearby warehouse's parent company, didn't creak, totter, and then fall off the face of the building. Improbably, it caught the wind just perfectly, swooping out to the center of the street before flopping down right on Croc's back-</p><p>And then the car rolled up onto the convenient ramp, <em>almost</em> made it over, then rolled back down the way it came.</p><p>A deep rumbling growl reverberated the ground beneath Jinx's feet for a second before Killer Crock surged to his feet, tearing through the metal signage like so much tissue paper. Arms raised high, bellowing his rage to the heavens, Croc opened his eyes-</p><p>Just in time to see the tall cargo crane just finish its lazy swing to position the large flat of miscellaneous crates directly over his head.</p><p>Several sparks of pink arced along the cables ominously, before they snapped loudly, dropping the semi precious cargo. The skid crashed down on Croc in a veritable avalanche, burying him completely beneath a cascade of wood and… what looked to be computer components.</p><p>By the time all was said and done, Croc was buried almost completely, except for his head. The poor criminal was barely even conscious -</p><p>When a television camera dropped out of nowhere and landed square on his head.</p><p>Above, distant shouts of "You're fired, Tony!" were nearly drowned out by the helicopters themselves.</p><p>Seeing her opening, Jinx finally charged forward. Dancing up the shattered debris that covered Croc, and mindful of all the cameras overhead, she delivered an elegantly beautiful soccer kick to the monster's scaly chin, sending him to Slumberland for well and for certain.</p><p>Breathing raggedly, Jinx planted her hands on her knees, a wide smile growing on her lips. She had done it! She'd beaten Croc one on one! She'd-</p><p>Hey, was that camera still running?</p><p>Inspiration struck the young witch like lighting. She then leaned forward into the camera before she proudly stated -</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"That's what you <em>get</em>, Punks! My name is Jinx, the One True Heir of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts! And don't you forget it!"</p><p>Jinx's leering face was joined on the screen a moment later by the extremely close, and extremely unflattering sight of Happosai's face, squeezing into the frame from the side. The wizened master crossed his arms over his chest and flashed a pair of peace signs.</p><p>"Where are my <em>ladies</em> at?"</p><p>Only to be punted out of sight a second later.</p><p>The pink eyed sorceress turned back to look over her shoulder and winked teasingly one final time. A second later, the screen went to static, then to black as the video reached its end.</p><p>Eyes wide, Akane and Natsume shared a bewildered glance. Then, slowly, they both turned to look over at Ranma, already cringing at the inevitable explosion.</p><p>The pigtailed boy's face was already passing straight through 'angry red' to 'furious purple'. His entire body was quivering as he stared at the black screen. Akane could feel Natsume's body tense as she prepared to leap to safety.</p><p>"Um… you like Jinx, remember? 'It's always good to see Ryouga's main squeeze', and all that?" Akane offered tentatively, nervously lifting her hands in front of her face to shield herself.</p><p>Staring obsessively forward, Ranma's face slowly returned to its normal color, though the way his pupils had shrunk to pinpricks was somewhat worrying. Still, he wasn't freaking out yet; had her point sunk in-</p><p>"Akane." Ranma's voice startled her with an uncharacteristic monotone. "Do we still have any of Ryouga's packs here?"</p><p><em>'Huh</em>?' What was <em>that</em> all about? "Um… yeah. I'm fairly sure there are one or two stashed around somewhere.  Why?"</p><p>Suddenly, Ranma leapt to his feet, holding up a fist and looking off to the horizon in a manly manner - or, in this case, staring at the corner of the ceiling like a maniac -</p><p>"Get me Ryouga's Challenge writing kit!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ryouga snapped awake with a start. Sitting up, he looked around as a wave of dizziness and confusion settled over him. He was in his room, obviously, and in his bed. He was fully dressed, though, and had no memory of getting here.</p><p>Another knock rang out on his door, and Ryouga realized that must have been what woke him up in the first place. Shaking his head a bit, he rolled out of bed and went over to answer the door.</p><p>Kasumi's sweet smile was there to greet him when the door slid open. The tall brunette was dressed in a baggy t-shirt and equally baggy sweatpants, which somehow only managed to make her appear more adorable, rather than slovenly.</p><p>Apparently, she first wore the getup as part of a joke to mess with Beast Boy. And it had worked, nearly blowing <em>everyone's</em> minds when they walked in on her, lounging on the couch, and eating chocolates, surrounded by mountains of crumpled chip bags and pizza boxes. But then she had realized just how comfortable it was, and now it wasn't uncommon to see her wearing it after ten or eleven at night.</p><p>"Ah, good, you're awake," Kasumi greeted him pleasantly. "I wasn't sure you would be yet."</p><p>Ryouga shook his head again, trying to end the faint ringing. "Uh, thanks, Kasumi. Say, what time is it, anyway? And how did I get to my room?"</p><p>Her head tilted curiously to the side as she regarded him. "Oh my, you don't remember? Well, you were quite happy at Jinx's victory - didn't she look simply lovely? I'll have to ask her how she got her bottom so toned, I think I could use a few pointers-" Turning slightly, as if to prove her point, the Tendo woman then proceeded to completely ignore the bright red color Ryouga's face flushed to as she continued. "Anyway, it was all fine, at least until you suddenly realized that Jinx was actually traveling with Grandfather Happosai. After that you… how did Cyborg put it? 'Freaked out like a spider monkey on crack.'? Robin and Beast Boy had to knock you out before you destroyed the entire tower, and then we put you in here."</p><p>Ryouga's pupils shrank to pinpricks. "J-Jinx is training with Happosai?"</p><p>He was about three seconds away from exploding - again - when a sudden smack to the face snapped him out of it. His eyes crossed to regard the rolled-up news paper still plastered across his nose.</p><p>"No! Bad spider monkey. No crack for you!" Kasumi followed her stern command with a serene smile as she pried the news paper off his face.</p><p>"Um, Kasumi. Do you know what crack is?"</p><p>She pressed a finger to her cheek as she thought about it. "Not really. Some kind of sugary candy?"</p><p>Ryouga shrugged. "Hmm, I don't really know either. That makes sense though. Whatever it is, though, it must be rather good stuff. I'll ask Beast Boy if he can get us any later."</p><p>"Oh yes," Kasumi agreed. "I'm sure if anyone would know about crack, it would be him."</p><p>They stood there for another long moment, before Ryouga finally realized how rude he was being. "Oh, I'm sorry, Kasumi. Did you want to come in? You didn't come all the way up here just to check up on me, did you?"</p><p>Smiling prettily, Kasumi shook her head. "No, no, it's quite alright. I'm glad that you're alright, but I'm also here to give you a message."</p><p>"A message?"</p><p>She nodded. "I just took a telephone call from a 'Mr. C.'. He was delightfully charming, I must say, I ended up speaking with him for an indecent amount of time."</p><p>"Mr. C.?" Ryouga mused to himself… Oh, wait, that must've been <em>him</em>!</p><p>"Anyway," Kasumi continued. "He wanted me to tell you that he expects his 'You know what,' by 'You know when', for his information about 'You know who', being 'You know where'. He told me that you already know the 'You know why' and that 'You know how' to get it to him as well."</p><p>Ryouga chuckled to himself in amusement. "Sounds like I'm all knowing, doesn't it?"</p><p>Kasumi's giggle was light and airy. "Well, just as long as you don't become a know it all. I don't think Raven would appreciate the competition."</p><p>"Oh, I don't know about that," Ryouga replied with a smirk. "So, was there anything else to the message?"</p><p>Reaching into one of the deep pockets sewn into her sweatpants, Kasumi pulled out a small disc. "Well, once he made me promise that I would deliver the message straight to you, he signaled a courier to discretely deliver this to the tower for you."</p><p>She looked at him with a knowing, slightly stern glance. "Ryouga, were you dealing with a criminal? This certainly seems like the same kind of shady business we learned back at the academy."</p><p>Shamefaced, he nodded. "Yeah… yeah, I guess I was."</p><p>"Well, it was for a good cause, so no harm done!"</p><p>"Alright, I - <em>wait, what</em>?" Ryouga could do little more than stare mutely as Kasumi patted him on the shoulder before pressing the disc into his hand.</p><p>"B-but aren't you even going to ask what's on it? I mean, I could be doing something evil, or something. Aren't you going to tell Robin?" Ryouga grew more worried by the second as he asked his questions. Really, it all came down to one thing. "How do you know you can trust me now?"</p><p>Kasumi rolled her eyes fondly, before reaching out to wrap a hand around the back of his neck, ruffling his hair as he so often did himself. "Oh, Ryouga. I don't know much -"</p><p>Suddenly, she pulled him forward, brushing her lips against his brow as lightly as a summer's breeze. She then matched his gaze, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "But I know I love you."</p><p>Still stunned, he did nothing as she ducked back through the door, still smiling widely.</p><p>"And that may be, all I need to know."</p><p>And then the door slid closed, and Ryouga was alone once more. Touching a finger to his forehead, a warm smile began to form on his lips as well. Leave it to Kasumi to know just what to say to make him feel better -</p><p>Wait a minute! Had she just…</p><p>He shook his head again. 'Nah, couldn't have been.'</p><p>Lifting his hand, the Lost Boy looked at the small disk resting in his palm. Perhaps a receipt or something? Oh well, it wasn't like he had anything else to do now. That in mind, he wandered over and slipped the disk into his computer, then waited for the auto play to kick in.</p><p>A second later, Jinx's face appeared on the screen.</p><p>Ryouga's jaw nearly unhinged from shock. In a flash, he was planted in his chair and turning up the volume control.</p><p>"-ey there, Ryouga. This is Jinx…" The pink eyed girl gave a weak laugh and ran a hand through her hair nervously. "Though, you probably figured that part out already, right?"</p><p>Despite himself, the martial artist found himself nodding as he smiled. What was she up to here?"</p><p>"You're probably wondering what I'm up to here-"</p><p>Ryouga rolled his eyes. He obviously underestimated how well she'd come to know him.</p><p>"Unfortunately, I don't have all night to talk, but I'll try to explain as much as I can."</p><p>The camera suddenly swung away from her, revealing a nicely decorated and vaguely familiar room. A second later, it swung back to settle on Jinx.</p><p>"Look familiar? I thought as much. Looks like twisted minds think alike. I'm recording this message in the Penguin's office as the Iceberg lounge. Seriously, the <em>Penguin</em>! How cool is that?"</p><p>A different voice, muted and coming from off screen made itself known, chortling quietly. "Oh, you are too kind, my dear."</p><p>Jinx flashed a wide, toothy grin to the man behind the camera before looking back Ryouga's way. "Apparently you came here looking for someone, just like I did." She winked teasingly. "You naughty boy. Does Robin know you're consorting with villains?"</p><p>The Lost Boy smirked, replying to the recorded image. "No - no he doesn't. Heh."</p><p>"Now, that has a lot to do with why I'm talking to you right now, but I think there's something else you need to know first." She suddenly pointed at him accusingly. "And I want you to <em>listen</em> to me first. I don't want you freaking out like a spider monkey on crack here."</p><p>Ryouga's eyes nearly crossed. Was that a common phrase that he'd just never heard of before?</p><p>"Now, don't lose it on me here, but I've been training with Happosai pretty much since we parted ways at the Academy. …You okay there? …Okay, I'll assume you calm down at some point and start watching this again. Anyway, you don't need to worry. Asides from the horribly, soul numbing torture that is his training, he's been really good to me."</p><p>The pink haired girl lifted an arm, flexing it cutely and patting her bicep proudly. "He's been helping me get a lot better, so you'd better tell Raven to watch her oversized butt!"</p><p>Ryouga vowed, then and there, that if he did give Raven a heads up, that he would not use those exact words.</p><p>The mirthful look on Jinx's face melted away into a more worried expression.</p><p>"T-that all kinda comes full circle to why I'm here. You see, I'm getting ready to do something really dangerous, part of a test for Happi. And I'm not exactly a hundred percent that I'll make it out okay."</p><p>The martial artist frowned. He was starting to see where this was going. He was only glad he'd seen the fight first, or he'd probably be going nuts by now.</p><p>"So, think of this as kind of a video will. I… don't actually have anything to bequeath or anything, but in case I don't make it, there was a thing or two I wanted to get off my chest."</p><p>Ryouga sniggered.</p><p>"You <em>so</em> laughed right there, didn't you!" Jinx barked abruptly. She pointed directly at him again. "If I do get outta this in one piece, that is <em>so</em> gonna cost you."</p><p>Taking a moment to compose herself, Jinx then continued, "First, I wanted to apologize… to you, obviously." The girl began to twirl her thumbs around on another. "You know how hard this is for me. I never regret anything I do, or whoever I happen to hurt… I don't even feel bad about helping capture you, since it led to us being so happy, even if only for a while."</p><p>The martial artist nodded to himself. As much pain as there had been, he couldn't deny that those short months he had spent with Jinx had been the happiest he could remember.</p><p>Jinx continued, her face falling in shame. "I - I wanted to apologize for how we parted ways at the academy. When you got your memories back, and I saw that <em>look</em> in your eyes… I - I just ran. My only real regret is that I may never know what you would have said, what you were feeling -"</p><p>Suddenly, she paused, and half rose from her seat, thus causing her head to exit the frame and, incidentally, leaving him staring blatantly at her chest.</p><p>"Y'know, this stuff is kinda private. Do you really need to be here to operate the camera?"</p><p>The familiar, muted voice of Mr. Cobblepot replied, "Young lady, this is a gentlemen's club, not a <em>dating service</em>. You're lucky I have one of these confounding contraptions at all. I only bought it for my vacations to the Atriums of Europe. Please, just consider me a fly on the wall."</p><p>"Fine, whatever. Just fair warning, though, it's only gonna get mushier from here."</p><p>"Fear not. I have some Milk of Magnesia to soothe my stomach later. Now, back to business, you distractible ditz."</p><p>The entire time this conversation was going on, Ryouga found himself blushing, trying not to stare - Jinx was leaning forward and it was causing her blouse to hang down <em>just</em> enough to remind him that she wasn't quite as… untalented as everyone assumed - but also reminding himself that there wasn't exactly anyone here to judge him for staring, either. He slowly reached up to pinch his nose-</p><p>When Jinx leaned back into her seat, only to wink at him with a naughty smile on her face."</p><p>"See anything ya like? Heh, you're such a boy."</p><p>Giggling, Jinx leaned back and tapped her chin thoughtfully.</p><p>"Hmm, now, where was I? …Damn, lost my train of thought. Doesn't matter, though. There was just one more thing I wanted to say before I go." The young woman took a deep breath, obviously steeling herself for what she was about to say. "Ryouga, in case I don't get another chance, I just want to say one last time… I like you."</p><p>She pinned him with an intense stare through the screen. "I mean <em>like</em> you, like you, you know what I mean? I know you probably don't feel the same way, but, at the same time, I don't think you hate me either, or else why would you be looking for me? Anyway, if I make it through this test, I was kind of hoping we might be able to talk again after this is done. I - I guess that's all, really -"</p><p>The sound of Mr. Cobblepot loudly clearing his throat caused Jinx to start suddenly.</p><p>"Oh, <em>oh</em>, right! Also, Mr. P says that you definitely need to pay up on your end of the bargain when you get this. <em>And</em>, for all the extra trouble he went through for me, he wants it with a nice ivory handle and cap."</p><p><em>Ivory</em>? Where the heck was he supposed to get ivo-</p><p>"Of course, you probably have no idea where to get ivory, so I'll ask Biki when I see her." Jinx paused to steeple her fingers before her ominously. "Though, I might suggest some <em>green</em> ivory. I'm sure you could get some of that easily enough."</p><p>Even as Ryouga blanched, Jinx burst into laughter.</p><p>"Oh, I wish, I know. Anyway, I-" She suddenly looked past the camera again. "Oh, right. Mr. P also wants you to know that if you don't pay up, he'll kidnap me and torture me or some junk."</p><p>She leaned out of the frame quickly, only to whisper loudly. "Hey, you wouldn't <em>actually</em> do that, would you?"</p><p>"Of course not, my dear, but he needn't know that."</p><p>"Gotcha!"</p><p>And then Jinx was facing him once again, smiling broadly. "Okay, time for me to go. You shouldn't get this until my fight is done, so hopefully this message isn't posthumous. Anyway, I just wanted you to know I've been doing okay. Hope I can see you again someday… Bye!"</p><p>The cat-eyed witch waved a tad sadly for a few seconds before the screen finally went black, leaving Ryouga alone with his thoughts.</p><p>Jinx wanted to see him again? He kind of thought it was just him wanting to see her again. And now he had so many questions. Training with Happosai? Fighting criminals?</p><p>It was quite confusing, as the latter seemed to say she wanted to do good… and yet she had teamed up with one of the most evil people he knew! …So very confusing.</p><p>Still, she wanted to see him. She'd apologized for running away… And what she'd done to Ranma was just priceless! Sighing fondly to himself, he started the video again.</p><p>"Gotta love that girl."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"Man, I <em>hate</em> that girl!"</p><p>Raven chuckled at Ranma's ire. It wasn't like she didn't agree with him, but to see him getting so… what was the term? 'Bent out of shape' over something so pointless.</p><p>"Even if her claim is true - which, granted, does carry some validity since she is working with Happosai - I'm still not sure why it matters." She set the communicator down so she could shift into a more comfortable position in her bed. Now lying on her side, she absently flipped the strap of her nightgown back over her shoulder as she picked the communicator up again.</p><p>"I mean," she continued quickly, "You're the heir of the Saotome branch, aren't you? What does it matter if she becomes Happosai's inheritor? It wasn't like you ever actually trained under him anyway."</p><p>"That's not the point!" Ranma barked. "She might as well have pasted a giant 'Kick Me' sign on my back for the whole world to see. Do you know the crap I've been putting up with all day?"</p><p>The small view of Ranma's room spun around, revealing what Raven was fairly sure was Akane's laptop sitting on his bed. It looked to be open on his email account and his inbox looked to be quite full indeed.</p><p>"I'm sure Nabiki did something, but that damn video has gone viral! Every martial artist and nut case that I've ever fought, met on the road, or that has ever even heard my name in passing, with access to a computer, has been sending me emails to rub it in my face!"</p><p>"And do the opinions of any of those people actually matter to you? Aside from some slight embarrassment, has it really harmed you in anyway?"</p><p>"My pride, Rae! She hurt my <em>pride</em>! That's pretty much all I legally own now." Ranma's outburst was ruined by the fact that he couldn't manage to keep a straight face himself. "Fine, fine. As you would say 'Humiliation is pointless'."</p><p>"I do <em>not</em> sound like that," she replied sharply. His impersonations were always terrible. "So, are you ready to give up this foolish notion of yours?"</p><p>Ranma just stared at her. "Are you nuts? Of course I'm not! Humiliation aside, Happosai's school is the root of all Anything Goes. The prestige it receives is greater than any of its subsidiary branches." He smirked wickedly. "And think of it this way, Rae-Rae. If Jinx <em>is</em> the true heir, then the legacy of the school has never been more vulnerable. Honestly, I'd be doing her a favor by beating her and… taking that title, and that nasty burden, off her shoulders."</p><p>"Right," drolled Raven. "What better way to protect her from being attacked by <em>other</em> unhinged, overly prideful martial artists, then to do it first?"</p><p>"Exactly! So, make sure the next time you see her, you give her my challenge… Oh, and pass on my message, too."</p><p>"Ranma," she replied evenly. "I consider you to be one of my closest friends and would do most anything to help you. On the other hand, Jinx is a spiteful, vindictive, irresponsible criminal, and there is no love lost between us. <em>However</em>, there is no way that I, in good conscious, could <em>possibly</em> recite to Jinx what you said earlier. I think even Kasumi would slap me for that."</p><p>"Oh, come on, Raven. It wasn't <em>that</em> bad."</p><p>"I'm fairly certain that half of those acts are frowned upon in Turkish prisons." Raven eyed him seriously. "I'll do my best to make sure she gets your challenge, but that is as far as I'll go."</p><p>Ranma snapped his fingers. "Dang. Would'a been hilarious to see the catfight that would'a caused."</p><p>"Yes." Raven rolled her eyes. "Because Jinx and I need another reason to fight. I don't think I need to fight your battles for you as well. You know, if you're that worried about your 'legacy', there are other ways to ensure it."</p><p>The pigtailed boy scratched his chin in consideration. "You mean skip Jinx and just take down Happi? I mean, eventually, sure, but now…?"</p><p>"I mean," Raven snapped, rubbing her temples. "That you might consider teaching someone. Happosai seems quite pleased with his new disciple, and Ryouga's student has done him quite proud today."</p><p>"Who? The skinny blonde girl with totally outta whack powers that you ditched on Ryouga, even though Ryouga and self control go together about as good as peanut butter and chocolate?"</p><p>"Um… Ranma… Peanut butter and Chocolate actually go together very well." She would know; the day that Beast Boy had introduced Starfire and herself to Peanut Butter Cups was… best forgotten.</p><p>"What? <em>Blech</em>! Go on and pull the other one." Ranma shook his head in disbelief. "Anyway, are you tryin' to tell me that Bacon Bits actually managed to <em>stop</em> her from running amok, not <em>caused</em> her to?"</p><p>Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Raven replied, "Ryouga has been doing amazing things in our company. He resurrected the veritable dead, for Azar's sake. It wouldn't kill you to admit that he is a capable friend."</p><p>Ranma just looked at her, cocking an eyebrow.</p><p>"Okay, in <em>your</em> case it might, but still-"</p><p>"But nothing! Once I take Jinx down, I'm coming back for Ryouga! Gotta score to settle with that guy," Ranma proclaimed proudly.</p><p>The dark Titan could only shake her head. "You never cease to amaze, Ranma."</p><p>"I know," he replied smugly.</p><p>"Wha - that wasn't a compliment… Oh, never mind."</p><p>Her companion chuckled loudly. "Alright, enough of that. You know the deal. I know you were tryin to be all sneaky about it, but you still brought up Ryouga!"</p><p>Raven frowned darkly, before finally sighing in defeat.</p><p>"I'll go get my thesaurus.  Can't believe you still make me help you with your homework."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Stretching out her arms and giving a satisfying yawn, Terra strolled down the hallway. Wearing her bathrobe and carrying a towel, her toothbrush, and a few other things, she was fully intending to enjoy the heck out of a nice morning bath.</p><p>She was still sore from her bout with Adonis, so a nice warm soak seemed like just the ticket. It would give her a chance to figure out what to do with her day off, too. Just because she passed her first test didn't mean she was done training, though she kind of hoped that the insane schedule they had kept would slacken considerably.</p><p>Robin had also said that her house arrest had been lifted as well! Clutching her hands to her chest, it was all she could do to not squeal out in joy.</p><p>She didn't want to wake anyone, after all.</p><p>That meant that she could go into the city again, and on patrols, too… Actually, she wasn't all that excited about the latter, but the former was ultra sweet!</p><p>She could take Ryouga to the diner for some of the world's best apple pie. Or she could see if Beast Boy wanted to go to the arcade. Or maybe go see a movie with Kasumi!</p><p>'Oh!' She could try to talk Cy into a road trip! Hmm, maybe hit the mall with Star first, to pick up some more seasonable clothes. Terra giggled to herself as another thought occurred to her. She could totally go to a poetry slam with Raven! The mental image of the pair of them wearing all black and with cute little berets, snapping their fingers while looking completely indifferent, was priceless.</p><p>Hmm, she tried to think of something she could do with Robin… But what <em>did</em> he do in his free time? Well, aside from buying copious amounts of hair gel. Hey, maybe she could ask Starfire!</p><p>"Hey, Star," she greeted cheerily as she passed by the girl's open door. "Do you know what Robin does for fun?"</p><p>The Tamaranean ceased in mid float and had to rotate to see her past the massive stack of identical outfits piled up in her arms. There was an unusual look on her face that Terra couldn't fathom as she responded.</p><p>"I am afraid that I have not been privy to the goings on of Robin's <em>personal life </em>lately."</p><p>Huh, that was weird. Terra hadn't exactly been in the loop lately, but she was that Starfire <em>was</em> Robin's personal life. Whatever it was, Star didn't seem too keen on the topic. So, not wanting to annoy her friend, she attempted to change said topic.</p><p>"Heh, um… that's a lot of clothes you got there… Is it laundry day already?"</p><p>Starfire looked at her strangely, only to shake her head.</p><p>"No."</p><p>And then she floated off without another word.</p><p>A little puzzled, Terra wandered down the hallway and knocked on Beast Boy's door. There was some loud crashing and what sounded like a body hitting the floor, but, eventually, the door slid open.</p><p>"Do you <em>know</em> what time it - <em>oh</em>, hey Terra!"</p><p>Blushing fiercely, Terra quickly looked away and blocked her sight with her hand. She hadn't been expecting the shape shifter to answer the door in just his boxers!</p><p>"Umm," she started weakly. "Uh, do you know what's up with Starfire? Is she donating all her clothing to some charity for impossibly tall and thin super models?"</p><p>Beast Boy stared at her like she was nuts for a minute, only to look down the hall in shock a moment later, as Starfire floated back into her room, only to float out with another mountain of clothing, and disappear down the hallway one more.</p><p>The shape shifter and the earth mover shared an uncertain glance, before Beast Boy spoke. "Umm… I think we might need a family meeting here."</p><p>Within moments, they were all assembled. Raven, wearing her leotard, but with a monstrous case of bed head and a killer scowl. Cyborg wearing his night cap and with a teddy bear under his arm. Robin and Ryouga both wearing matching gis and looking like they'd been up for an hour already, and Kasumi, wearing her normal clothing and looking quite awake and refreshed.</p><p>The resentment was palpable.</p><p>And, again, Starfire floated past them, gliding into her room, and returning quickly with another bushel of personal effects.</p><p>Unable to hold in his curiosity, Cyborg lifted a hand. "Uh, Starfire?"</p><p>Not even slowing in her work, the Tamaranean replied with an absent "Hmm?"</p><p>"Going somewhere?" Beast Boy asked, every bit as curious as his buddy.</p><p>Passing them by, on her way back down the hallway, she replied evenly. "I am leaving for Tamaran."</p><p>Watching the odd procession, Raven felt compelled to ask, "And you're taking all your stuff because...?" At that, Starfire finally stopped, turning to grace the gathered Titans with a tender, wistful smile.</p><p>"I am not ever coming back."</p><p>The reactions to that were somewhat predictable.</p><p>"<em>WHAT</em>?" was shouted in stereo, nearly buffeting the alien girl back into her nearly empty room.</p><p>A second later, Robin was in front of her, blocking her path. "Starfire, what's wrong?"</p><p>"Nothing is wrong. I am…" she gave a short pause, then offered him a big smile. "...getting married."</p><p>"<strong><em>WHAT</em></strong>?" Another round of shocked shrieks rocked the hallway as the Titans' eyes nearly popped out of their heads. Slowly, Robin slid to the ground, completely catatonic.</p><p>Looking around uncertainly, Kasumi finally took a step forward.</p><p>"…So …is it anyone we know?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The figure moved carefully down the darkened corridor. He knew these hallways well, was intimately familiar with the many secrets which these walls held. He was also quite aware of the guard rotations and the hidden passages that would allow him to traverse the lower depths of the palace unseen.</p><p>Reaching the desired junction, he calmly searched the wall, before depressing a concealed switch, opening the doorway which he was looking for. Once he was through, he closed it behind him, before finally retrieving the lantern from his belt. The small, glowing device illuminated the ancient, roughly worked corridor with an unearthly blue light.</p><p>It took nearly a quarter of an hour, but the passage finally delivered him to his ultimate location:</p><p>The dungeon.</p><p>He had no idea how his contact infiltrated this deeply into the palace, but without fail, the surface dweller had reached their meeting place before him, always waiting, bathed in shadow.</p><p>The meeting place in question was the final cell, of the deepest level. It was the most feared chamber in the entire kingdom, reserved only for the most hated, the most damned criminals to ever desecrate their sacred laws. It somehow seemed to amuse his mysterious benefactor to take this most terrifying of chambers and utilize it as his personal brokerage.</p><p>Breathing heavily now, he reached into his pocket, quintuple checking that the item was still there. It was still warm to the touch. Somehow, its presence did not put him at ease, but at least he knew that his bargaining chip was still intact.</p><p>Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he was standing before the heavy door. It took all his strength to open the unusually thick, steel door, but it slid open without a whisper of a sound; this chamber was always highly maintained, always awaiting someone worthy of its reputation.</p><p>Sliding in through the opening, he pushed his back up against the door and closed it fully before taking a deep breath after the exertion.</p><p>"Good evening, friend."</p><p>A chill ran up his spine at the sound of the voice. No matter how often he heard it, he could never get used to it. It held an almost inhuman mixture of calm and menace that froze his soul. Even this friendly greeting made him feel as if a blade were being unsheathed in his direction.</p><p>"I have your payment," he stated plainly, trying to maintain an amount of calm in his own voice. Even as he spoke, he peered around the room, trying to find the speaker. Even with his lantern disc, the light failed to penetrate the furthest corners of the room… and it was those corners that his associate enjoyed lingering in.</p><p>There, in the far corner this time. He could see a vague silhouette of the man, not overly tall, nor massively muscled or broad… and yet terrifying all the same. He could see a single eye glistening in the light, the other half of the man's face too deeply bathed in shadows for the light to reach even across his face.</p><p>"That is most fortunate. May I see it?"</p><p>"Not until I know that you have upheld your part of the bargain," he demanded in a hushed tone.</p><p>"You wound me, my friend." The shadowed figure reached behind his back, before producing an ancient scroll, lifting it up into the light for him to plainly see. "I have taken care of all of the arrangements."</p><p>Scurrying forward, he crossed the room and tore the scroll from his benefactor's hands. Opening it carefully, he scanned the first few lines.</p><p>"It - it is authentic! How - No, I do not even want to know how you got this."</p><p>"That's right. You don't. Now… my payment?"</p><p>With the utmost care, he rolled the scroll up once more, before tucking it into the case hanging from his belt. He then reached into his pocket, pulling out the item in question. He held it up to the light, letting the shadowed man see it clearly.</p><p>"So much trouble you've gone to. And for what? Some golden trinket?" He tossed the small bauble through the air, and the figure caught it with such ease that it somehow even made the inconsequential feat seem inhuman.</p><p>The man clutched the ring in his hand for a moment, before slowly nodding to himself. Holding it up into the light again, one could almost feel the waves of satisfaction rolling from the stranger.</p><p>"All that glitters is not gold, my friend. Despite what you think, I am the one that came of this deal ahead, not you."</p><p>"Bah! This scroll alone has more value than you can imagine. How can that bauble compare? It isn't even of Atlantean make, just a surface dweller bauble found decades ago." He scoffed at the very thought. "It will not even be missed. It only made its way into the treasure chamber because the queen thought it looked <em>precious</em>. "</p><p>"More precious than you know," the figure replied cryptically. "And, now that our business is concluded, I will be on my way."</p><p>"Wait!" he called out plaintively. "You have delivered the scroll, that much is certain. But what of the <em>other</em> part of our bargain? Have you prepared what I require?"</p><p>His one eye verily twinkling with delight, the shadow figure took a single step back into the shadows, vanishing completely even though his lantern was only a scant few feet away. From the shadows, the figure's disembodied voice replied.</p><p>"As I said. I have handled <em>all</em> of the arrangements."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ronal sighed forlornly as he stood watch at his post. As the ocean currents flowed past him, he allowed the soothing warmth of the waters to carry his discontent away with them. After all, in theory, his was a position of great honor. One of the border guards of Atlantis itself, the very first line of defense against and all invaders. It would be his trident that would be the first to meet any threat that reared its ugly head against his homeland.</p><p>In practice, though, he was stuck out in the middle of nowhere, well over a hundred miles away from the majestic domed city, on the watch for enemies that didn't exist. No surface dweller would dare provoke the ire of Atlantis, and there was no power beneath the waves greater than that of their kings.</p><p>It left him in a very solitary, very boring state of affairs that he would not have wished upon his worst enemy.</p><p>Sighing again, he sat down on the stone he'd chosen for a perch on this day. It was a short distance from his watch post, but he detested sitting inside all day long, staring at the sonar screen. He could see just as well as it could anyway.</p><p>Leaning down, he reached down to grab the case he used to hold the lunches he prepared for himself when he took it upon himself to commence visual inspections such as these. Rooting around through the container, he tried to find something a bit on the sweet side to take his mind off his sorry existence…</p><p>Wait a moment… was it getting darker?</p><p>Looking up, confused, Ronal noted that it was, indeed, getting darker, but not due to the setting of the sun. It looked almost… almost as if a great cloud were racing over him, blotting out the light…</p><p>Squinting his eyes, Ronal shot to his feet, making a sudden realization. <em>'That is no cloud!'</em></p><p>Turning quickly, he began to swim back to the outpost as fast as his muscles would carry him -</p><p>He only made it halfway before he noticed the half dozen or so figures already gathered around the outpost. As one, they turned to regard him with hate filled eyes. A moment later, they were swimming in his direction, as were more of them, circling in from every direction like a pack of feral sharks…</p><p>Looking about in all directions, Ronal clutched his trident tightly in his hands, knuckles going white as he saw his doom descending on him. There was only one thing he could think to say as he brandished his weapon, preparing to give the fight of his life.</p><p>"Well, isn't this just <em>perfect</em>."</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="ms-editor-squiggler">
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